Vietnam is currently celebrating the Lunar New Year, or Tet. It’s the biggest holiday of the year, when families reunite for a week off work. One Tet tradition is the gifting of lì xì or ‘lucky money’ to children. It’s similar to the Chinese hóngbāo tradition of gifting money in red envelopes—either physical or virtual via apps like WeChat. And the practice has found its own digital equivalent in Vietnam. But with a slight twist.
On Vietnam’s most popular e-wallet, MoMo, it’s you who gets a gift from the platform. In a game called Lắc Xì, you’re set up with an initial value of VND500,000 (US$22), which you can spend in-game to try and master five challenges from the God of Fortune, with millions of prizes, including cash, up for grabs.
