There's a mix of a lot of ideas here so it's hard to focus but no one doubts the importance of tradition and lucky money. I think there might be a clash of generations here. When I speak about this to people younger than 40, let's say, most of them will say that it's not 1980 anymore and things have changed. Most of the content you'll find online about tradition doesn't necesseraly reflect today's more modern life and needs.
We're probably never be able to do this experiment, but according to my Saigonese friend, if we gave people the choice between envelopes with USD$2 in them or envelopes with 200k VND in them, and they could choose *anonymously*, 80% of Vietnamese people would go for the higher, Vietnamese dong amount. If they are being watched, it might be totally different. That's an experiment very hard to make so we'll leave it at that, but I personally think I'm being much more realistic than what is being described here.
I was being overly "provocative" with my "nonsense" comment so I apologize for that, it was a harsh shortcut for "I don't think this is realistic in today's more modern Vietnamese culture".
-@WillyBaldy
So, youre right and everyone else is wrong,well done!
I asked my wife and she agrees that the 2$ note is highly cherished in Viet Nam. So I will use her as my one example as you have done. So lets call it quits and agree that you give what you want.
-@colinoscapee
Interesting, I'm reading my post again and can't see how it can be perceived as "everyone is wrong and I'm right". I found the discussion very interesting and very theoretical. I also never said the $2 wasn't "cherished", we were just comparing two options. You seem to take this very personal, we're not discussing politics as far as I'm aware