Mandatory Respectful Attire: Acceptable & Comfortable
Since April 2017, visitors wearing clothes deemed inappropriate are not allowed to enter worshipping places and relics, as the Hanoi authorities are resolute to enforce the respectful attire regulations.
Scarves are available for sale or borrowing for female visitors wearing revealing tops or men wearing shorts.Western visitors need scarves the most
While Bao Ha pagoda in Lao Cai province and most of relics in Nha Trang city are enforcing the regulations for years by providing scarves as temporary cover for tourists before entering; only since this April that Hanoi is requesting visitors to Ngoc Son temple, Ba Kieu temple, King Le monument and other relics to wear respectful attire.
The management of Ngoc Son temple has a hundred scarves available for tourists to wear temporarily. “Three hundred visitors need to borrow scarves every day. Most of individual tourists need scarves while group tourists don’t because they are reminded by their travel agents,” said Nguyen Dang Son from Ngoc Son temple Management. Many tourists find it easy and comfortable to wear the scarves. “The scarves are untroubled and with moderate colors. As women wearing short skirts, I think it’s suitable to wear this scarf before entering the temple,” said Nguyen Thi Ha from Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi. Jacqueline, a French tourist also agreed with the regulation requiring respect for the country’s worshiping places. Some others just don’t cooperate. Being requested to wear the scarf, they just put it on the shoulders or tie around the hip.
Other relics awaiting
Other Hanoi relics, after learning the experience of Ngoc Son temple where tourists mostly accept to wear respectful attire, are preparing to enforce the regulation. “From April 26, the Temple of Literature will have scarves for tourists. The scarves will be available in red and weaved with the temple image,” said Le Xuan Kieu from the management of Temple of Literature.
“What kind of cloth for tourists to wear temporarily was our headache. After discussing, we chose violet color for female visitors and green color for men. We ruled out the maroon color because it’s typical of Buddhism and visitors of other religion might find it uncomfortable”, said Nguyen thi Hoa, head of Hanoi Vestiges Management Board.
However, some other relics find the regulation very difficult to be enforced. “In Tay Ho temple, the number of visitors might amount to thousands on the first day and fifteenth day of the lunar month. No one will be able to request all of them to wear respectful attires. So education and previous warning for tourists are necessary”, said Truong Chi Hoi from the Tay Ho temple Management.
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