What Vietnamese Tết custom names the first person to enter a home in the new year? The answer is xông đất, the first-footing custom believed to influence the household’s fortunes.
The first visitor after the Lunar New Year begins is traditionally considered significant. Families may invite someone regarded as good-natured, successful, healthy, or otherwise auspicious to be the first person through the door. A favorable first visit is thought to set a positive pattern for the year.
The custom is also called xông nhà or đạp đất, so these names may appear in English-language descriptions. That variation does not make the stored answer wrong: xông đất is a standard name for the practice. Hái lộc means gathering or receiving a symbolic lucky sprig, while khai bút refers to beginning the year’s first writing or calligraphy.
Beliefs and observance differ among families and regions. Some households carefully arrange the first visitor, while others treat the custom casually or do not practice it. It belongs to Tết’s wider program of family reunions, ancestor veneration, greetings, and lucky-money giving.