by Tao Jun, Bui Long

HANOI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- A middle-aged man, casting a slender silhouette, walked confidently into an office-cum-warehouse in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi on Monday.

He paid a New Year greeting to the host and gently gave red envelops to the teenagers there before finally placing piles of banknotes on the table near a big peach blossom tree.

After making the cash payment, the man received a big bag full of colored threads, placed it on his shimmeringly clean motorbike and carefully drove away.

"He is one of our regular customers. He is easygoing and kindhearted. He never owes us. So I invited him to 'mo hang' today," Ha Thi Quynh, director of the Chinh Quan Garment Materials Company, told Xinhua on Monday, the fourth day of Tet, or Vietnam's Lunar New Year holiday.

She explained that "mo hang" means opening or re-opening a shop after Tet, and for "mo hang," the shop's owner often invites a favorite customer, relative or friend to become the first buyer, hoping that he or she will bring good luck, especially good sales and profit for the rest of the new year.

"As businesspeople, we attach great importance to choosing the day for 'mo hang,' as well as the first customer of the year. Before Tet (which started on Feb. 16), I consulted a fortune-teller and he said the fourth day of Tet is good for 'mo hang' and a customer born in the Year of the Dragon or Monkey is compatible with me, because I was born in the Year of the Rat," the middle-aged director said, blossoming into a satisfied smile.

According to fortune-teller's information, the first, the fourth, the fifth, the eight and the tenth of the Lunar New Year 2018 -- The Year of the Dog -- are good for "mo hang."

When choosing a person for "mo hang," businesspeople always pay attention to his or her zodiac sign.

In the Chinese Zodiac, people under different zodiac signs have certain personality characteristics corresponding to those animals. Accordingly, some of the signs can be compatible but some may not get along well with each other.

Based on the characters, the 12 animal signs can be categorized into four groups of three animal allies or friends, also known as "San He," or three harmonies or triple harmony. In the same group, the three animals could live harmoniously, understand and bring good luck to each other.

The four groups of three include the Rat, Dragon and Monkey; the Ox, Snake and Rooster; the Tiger, Horse and Dog; and the Rabbit, Goat and Pig.

However, when the Chinese Zodiac system was introduced in Vietnam, the 12 animal signs changed a little, with the Rabbit being replaced with the Cat.

Many Vietnamese people are also careful about choosing people for "xong dat," or first footing. According to the Tet tradition, the first guest to enter the house after midnight on the Lunar New Year's Eve is believed to bring good luck or bad luck to the host's family in the new year.

The first guest is normally a close relative or a friend of the host, or sometimes a family member. The guest should have a zodiac sign compatible with the host, be good-tempered, kindhearted, successful at work and satisfied with their life.

"This Tet, I invited my best friend to 'xong dat' right after midnight on the Lunar New Year's Eve. I was born in the Year of the Cat, he was born in the Year of the Goat, and my wife was born in the Year of the Pig, so we are in a 'San He' group. And, more importantly, he has treated our family well, and just got promoted," Nguyen Van Quang from the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group told Xinhua on Monday.

The most common customs for "xong dat" are that the special guest wishes the elderly with longevity, the host with health and prosperity, and their children with good academic performance. The guest also gives the children lucky money in red envelops, and enjoys a special meal with the host.

In Vietnam, the monetary gift in red envelops is often called "mung tuoi," or congratulating a new age, or "li xi." "Li xi" is the Vietnamese pronunciation of the Chinese word "lishi" or "lai see." The red color symbolizes good luck and is a symbol to drive evil spirits away.

"This Tet, my children were very excited to receive red envelops with a golden image of a very cute puppy. They were also very excited when my best friend wished my parents to live like pine trees and for my wife and I to make money like bosses," Quang said.

According to Nguyen Manh Linh from the Center for Researching and Applying Feng Shui in Agriculture under Vietnam's National University of Civil Engineering, "xong dat" and "mo hang" are Vietnamese people's age-old traditions, which are based on a belief that if things go smoothly in the first days of a Lunar New Year, all other things will go smoothly in the year ahead.

As a Vietnamese proverb goes: "Dau xuoi duoi lot," or starting well is half the job, and a good beginning makes a good ending.

"People who engage in 'xong dat' or 'mo hang' should be openminded and tolerant. Those who are compatible with the host in terms of zodiac signs, but grumpy, are not suitable for 'xong dat' or 'mo hang.' Try to avoid inviting such people," advised Linh, a local expert in Feng Shui, a Chinese metaphysical and quasi-philosophical system that seeks to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.

Other experts, however, said that people should not be superstitious, and not rely on luck, but on their own efforts.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Rat is wise, but wisdom without industriousness leads to triviality. The Tiger is valorous, but valor without caution leads to recklessness. And the Dragon is strong, but strength without flexibility leads to fracture.