For some in the Vietnamese American community, the Lunar New Year is a time to visit a fortune teller. Some plot their year based on what a fortune teller might tell them.
Getting a glimpse at the future comes at a steep price. The LA Times reports fortune tellers can fetch as much as $600 for an out of town visit. Yet the Times reports a visit to a fortune teller for some in the Vietnamese American community “is as routine as going to the tax man.” Some parents look to fortune tellers to give their children good advice.
“A mother can say just so much,” the Anaheim woman says. “Modern Asian children growing up in America don’t listen to their parents. I have very little influence. I try to find someone with more influence.”
One fortune teller says he routinely keeps appointments in Paris and London, Canada and Australia, and Vietnamese American hubs across the U.S.
“I do not judge,” says fortune teller Mai Pham. “I try to answer questions as best as I am able.”
The LA Times looks at what fortune tellers offer their clients.