Choosing an apartment floor by your element: the Five Elements and low, mid and high floor realities

The Five Elements are a traditional belief that many people consult when choosing a floor; this article presents the common method and compares it with reality, without claiming any outcome. Updated 23 October 2026.

Two questions come up often when choosing an apartment: "Which floor suits my element?" and "Which floor is the most comfortable to live on?". The first belongs to feng shui; the second to real living conditions. This article answers both so you can weigh them together.

1. The common method: floor number to element

By popular belief, people take the last digit of the floor number and convert it to an element (following the order in the Hà Đồ, the River Map):

Last digit of the floor	Element
1, 6	Water
2, 7	Fire
3, 8	Wood
4, 9	Metal
5, 0	Earth

For example, floor 12 has last digit 2 and belongs to Fire; floor 30 belongs to Earth; floor 19 belongs to Metal.

2. Floors that suit your element: lookup table

The belief: a suitable floor is one of the same element or the element that generates your element (mutual generation). Your nạp âm (sound-element) is calculated from your birth year — see How to calculate your life palace and nạp âm element.

Your element	Floor of the element that generates yours	Floor of the same element
Metal	Earth — last digit 5, 0	Metal — 4, 9
Wood	Water — 1, 6	Wood — 3, 8
Water	Metal — 4, 9	Water — 1, 6
Fire	Wood — 3, 8	Fire — 2, 7
Earth	Fire — 2, 7	Earth — 5, 0

Example: if your element is Earth (such as people born in 1990 or 1991, Lộ Bàng Thổ — Roadside Earth), floors 2, 7, 12, 17 (Fire generates Earth) or 5, 10, 15 (same Earth) are considered suitable.

By the belief, a floor of the element that overcomes your element is avoided by many people. For example, Earth overcomes Water, so people of the Water element are often wary of floors ending in 5 or 0. You don't need to treat this as an absolute rule: many people decide on other factors, or balance it with interior colours.

3. What if the suitable floor is gone?

Some things people commonly do: choose a floor of the same element as the spouse's birth year; choose a floor of the element that generates your element if the same-element floors are sold out; or use colours and supporting objects. Either way, this remains a belief, and you decide according to your family's convictions.

4. In practice: low, mid and high floors

There is no best floor for everyone. Below is a comparison based on commonly seen experience; for the actual price difference, see each project's price list.

Criterion	Low floor (about 1–10)	Mid floor (about 11–25)	High floor (about 26 and above)
Price	Usually lower within the same tower	Average	Usually higher (per each project's price list)
Noise, dust, insects	More affected when next to the road or lobby	Less	Less ground noise, but stronger wind
Wind, light	May be blocked by trees or other towers	Balanced	Airy, plenty of sun, distant views
Elevators	Little waiting	Moderate waiting	Longer waiting at peak hours; elevator breakdowns affect you more
Evacuation	Close to the ground, quick exit	Use the evacuation stairs	Depends on the tower's fire-protection system and escape stairs
View	Limited	Good	Wide, rarely blocked

The floor ranges in the table are only illustrative; each tower has a different height. Ask the developer for the floor specifications and look at the actual structure.

5. Fire safety on high floors

An apartment building must meet the fire-safety standard (QCVN 06:2022/BXD, Amendment 1:2023, applicable from 1 December 2023; according to a summary, it applies to apartment buildings with a fire-protection height up to 150 m and no more than 3 basement levels). On a high floor, you should:

• Ask where the evacuation stairs are, and whether corridors are kept clear.
• Check the exit signs and fire hydrants on the floor.
• Not leave belongings on escape routes.

This is something to check when taking over the home, regardless of feng shui.

6. How to balance the choice

1. Set your budget and purpose: long-term living or renting out.
2. Filter by legal status and progress (checking a project's legal status).
3. Choose a floor group that fits reality (noise, wind, elevators, view).
4. Within that group, prefer the floor that suits your element if your family cares.
5. Calculate the costs beyond the sale price before you decide.

If you are buying to rent out, tenants usually care more about light, elevators and price than about the element of the floor number.

Note: feng shui is for reference only and does not guarantee luck, wealth or profit. Prioritise clear legal status, the quality of the apartment, safety and a price that fits your finances.

• Chogia.vn — Age & horoscope by heavenly stem and earthly branch (nạp âm Lộ Bàng Thổ for 1990), accessed 23 October 2026.
• Thư viện Pháp luật — QCVN 06:2022/BXD (Amendment 1:2023) Fire safety for buildings and structures (applicable from 1 December 2023; scope of apartment buildings up to 150 m — read through a search summary, the full text requires login).
• Converting floor numbers to elements (Hà Đồ) and the table of floors by mutual generation / same element: a popular folk belief, not tied to any single source; many documents may state it differently.
• Low / mid / high floor comparison: a summary of commonly seen experience, not statistical data; floor ranges are illustrative only.