In self-fulfilling prophecy, Saigon man wears 13 kilos of gold for luck

Phuc, 36, is a businessman in Saigon who has no interest in the "normal" things like gaming, smoking or alcohol. He has only great love, gold.

Phuc devotes all his time to work and his great love, gold.

Five years ago, Phuc learned from a feng shui master that wearing gold has great, positive effects on health and work. He started to order customized gold jewelry then.

At first, he started to wear light and thin necklaces, but they were gradually replaced by ones of greater size.

Phuc currently wears four rings, each weighing half a kilogram; two bracelets of 1 and 4 kilograms; and one necklace with a 6-kilogram pendant shaped like a book with meticulous carvings.

At current Vietnamese prices, when he is fully bedecked, Phuc wears jewelry worth around $560,000.

Phuc said he was ordering a hat weighing one kilogram, and said that will complete the weight he targets wearing.

He likes to wear the jewelry on him as much as he can, except when he’s sleeping. On walks, he only wears a watch after a robber attempt. He wears all his jewelry on special occasions, like when the national men’s football team plays a match.

When he goes outside, wearing his jewelry, he hires a team of security guards to keep him safe outside.

Phuc admits that wearing such jewelry attracts too much attention. The heavy load is also a literal pain in his neck, and he needs to have medical checks. His family initially objected to his strange habit, but eventually accepted it.

"When I first wore the jewelry, I was not used to them. I had to remove them every 5 to 10 minutes, but now it feels like nothing. I just leave them on my body, shake my head, nod and move my arms. I don’t have to go to the gym," Phuc said.

However, Phuc needs to walk very gently when he climbs and descends stairs. If he moves too much, the big pendant can hurt him.

An orthopedic surgeon in Ho Chi Minh City warned that wearing a few kilograms of jewelry for a long time can lead to health hazards related to joints, degeneration of ligaments and backbone.

A feng shui teacher, Nguyen Vo Uyen Mi, said no feng shui master would recommend a person wearing too much gold, because in this tradition, too much of anything can lead to failure. "In addition, wearing gold is only suitable for certain times of the year."