The first visitor of the new year is very important to Vietnamesebecause they he or she is believed to decide the luck of the host forthe entire year. Traditionally, the visitor is a member of the family ora good friend. Now a new service, rent a first visitor, has emerged tocarry on the custom.

According to historian Le VanLan, as the nation's economy depends so much on farming, the earth wasvery important. Xong dat, (first visit to a land) custom has its rootsin this belief.

It is thought that if the land isgood, the house is built on it is good and the family who lives on itwill have good luck. The custom is also an occasion for people "to showlove back to Mother Land ," Lan said.

However,as agriculture is gradually replacing industry, more and more companiesare born and along with them, the new Xong dat service. People not onlyneed to have Xong dat for their homes, but also for their shops, stores,or companies.

Dang Thanh Hoa, one of the foundersof the Hoa Da company that provides the Xong dat service said theircompany had stopped accepting orders even though it's still more thantwo weeks until Tet.

"We started providing thisservice last year. But this year, it has become much more popular. Wehave had an overwhelming number of orders this year, so we stoppedtaking orders," she said.

Hoa's company offersdifferent packages of Xong dat. Customers can choose to have men dressup as one or all of the three prosperity gods, Phuc, Loc and Tho(Happiness, Wealth and Longevity) and pay a visit on New Year's eve.

The package includes visiting the family, presenting New Year's giftsand New Year's wishes or poems to the family, opening champagne andsinging New Year's songs with the host. Prices vary from 250,000 to600,000 VND (12-30 USD).

Businesses are the mostcommon customers, Hoa said. "Many company owners came to us because theywant to provide some fun for their employees at New Year."

Nguyen Thanh Manh, owner of Thanh Manh Employment Service Company,said he had hired the xong dat service for the last two years. Lastyear, his company chose a female and a male student.

"I wanted to have both male and female because they created a balanceof yin-yang and would bring good luck," Hoang said. "It didn't cost muchand our company had a good time."

Xong dat servicesare also offered on internet blogs or through text messages. A personnamed Phong left a message on a blog saying "My name is Phong. I wasborn in 1993 so I'm a Rooster and I'm perfect for the coming Cat Year(Rabbit Year in Chinese). I'm also a Libra, which will bring you peaceand balance."

Phong said he and 15 friends, who areall college students, started the service hoping to earn some money andhave fun during Tet.

The Xong dat custom originallyaimed to show one's love for the earth. It is a sacred connection andcan't be turned into a service, said historian Lan. "Traditionally, theperson who is the first visitor of the house must have a pure soul andbe genuine. It should be someone from your family," he added.

In Lan's family, his son is always the one who does it.

Huu Ho, a popular fortune teller agrees with Lan, saying that if thevisitor was from the family or a friend, it would bring better luck thanfrom a stranger.

However, he agreed that forcompanies, the service would not hurt if the companies could find aperson with good astrology signs. "They can bring good luck too, Hosaid."./.