Avoiding the ‘Hungry Ghost Month’: How superstitions influence life decisions in Vietnam

This year, the “Hungry Ghost Month” began on August 4.

After an examination doctors decided the 34-year-old Hanoian could safely have a caesarean section at 39 weeks of pregnancy though they recommended a natural delivery. “Even for buying clothes, we avoid the seventh lunar month, let alone giving birth,” Phuong says to justify her decision.

She called up her mother in their hometown to help pick an auspicious time for surgery and asked her mother-in-law to visit after the baby arrived. Her husband took time off from work to care for her. On July 31 (26th of the sixth lunar month) they welcomed a healthy 3.4-kg baby girl. “I planned to stay in the hospital for only three days to ensure we are home before the ‘Hungry Ghost Month’ starts,” Phuong says.

Dr Le Duy Toan of the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital says many mothers-to-be request caesarean deliveries to avoid the seventh lunar month. From a medical standpoint, doctors only agree to do so if it is safe for both mother and child, he says.

“It’s not about wanting to avoid the seventh lunar month. For an elective caesarean, the pregnancy must be full-term and meet all medical criteria.”

Two weeks ago his landlord told Duc Trong, 30, of Cau Giay, Hanoi, to vacate his house within two months. Trong’s wife insisted on moving before the start of the seventh lunar month.

“My mother also urged us to move quickly because the seventh lunar month is considered unlucky,” Trong says.

Despite his busy IT project schedule, he had to hunt for a new home. In a week’s time he found a decent two-story house, but though it was in need of minor repairs his wife was determined to move in immediately.

“It has been almost 10 days, and our belongings are still wrapped in plastic,” the father of two says.

“I don’t see the benefit of avoiding the seventh lunar month, but now we are stuck in a chaotic house.”

Nguyen Thanh Quoc, the owner of a business in Hai Phong City that coordinates crew members for international cargo ships, also avoids major activities during the seventh lunar month.

Recently he has been managing departure procedures for nearly 20 crew members and managed to settle everything just days before the inauspicious month began. He says: “Work at sea is tough and risky. So I always avoid starting new voyages in the seventh lunar month.”

During the rest of the year he coordinates crew assignments whenever there is a recruitment drive. But in the seventh month he only does paperwork and postpones major tasks, especially departures.

“‘Respect the spirits and you’ll be blessed.’ I don’t know why, but it’s been a tradition in my family to avoid business activities during the ‘Hungry Ghost Month’.”

A shop at Nghia Tan Market in Hanoi’s Cau Giay districts sells offerings on Aug. 1, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/ Phan Duong

Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son of the National Assembly’s Culture and Education Committee says the belief originates from the tradition of the Ghost Festival, observed on the 15th of the seventh lunar month. It involves paying respects to departed souls and seeking forgiveness for any wrongdoing or unfinished business. It is believed that during this time spirits freely roam the earth, causing disruptions and bringing bad luck.

“Attempting to complete tasks before or avoid major activities during the seventh lunar month has become a tradition passed down through generations,” Son says.

“Not everyone may believe in this, but many still adhere to it for peace of mind.”

Associate Professor Bui Xuan Dinh of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences says this tradition is prevalent in some other Southeast and East Asian countries too. He offers a rational explanation too saying people avoided major events like weddings, house construction and signing business contracts during this month due to the heavy rains that fall then, which could disrupt these activities and pose practical challenges.

“Nowadays avoiding activities during the seventh lunar month has become increasingly common, with new and unusual taboos emerging due to the advent of modern technologies, such as avoiding childbirth during this month.”

In the past Vietnamese people used to observe rituals and avoided certain activities on the 15th of the seventh lunar month. However, since the 1990s, as the country’s economy opened up, more superstitions have emerged, especially in business circles. Nowadays they are reinforced by fortune tellers, heightening the fear of things like the “Hungry Ghost Month.”

According to the sexagenary cycle, the seventh lunar month often has more auspicious days than the sixth. Avoiding activities in the seventh to focus on the sixth could lead to missed opportunities and contradict natural principles such as altering a child’s birth timing, which could impact their destiny.

Dinh says: “Avoiding tasks based on superstition can lead to missed opportunities or family conflicts. It is best to follow your plans and not alter them unnecessarily.”