In southern Vietnam, lucky money given in red envelopes during Tết is called lì xì.
Lì xì is the southern regional term for the Tết custom of giving money in a red envelope, usually from older relatives to children or younger family members. The gift is meant to convey good fortune and warm wishes for the year ahead; its symbolic blessing matters more than the amount of money inside.
The expression is associated with the Cantonese term 利市, often interpreted as benefit, good luck, or prosperity. Southern Vietnam’s historical Chinese-Vietnamese communities, especially around Chợ Lớn in present-day Ho Chi Minh City, helped establish the term in southern usage. In northern Vietnam, the more usual expression is mừng tuổi, meaning “celebrating a new age.”
The regional distinction explains why both lì xì and mừng tuổi can appear in descriptions of Vietnamese New Year. Tất niên refers to the year-end gathering or farewell to the old year, while khai bút means beginning the year by writing; neither names the red-envelope gift.