Tuyen Quang speaks out about the incident of a Western male tourist wearing a H'Mong skirt, causing offense.

Recently, many social media platforms have been sharing images and videos of Western male tourists wearing H'Mong skirts for entertainment purposes.

Scrolling quickly across various platforms, viewers can easily come across short videos showing foreign male tourists wearing the traditional skirts of H'Mông ethnic women at tourist destinations in Ha Giang (formerly) now part of Tuyen Quang province.

Tuyên Quang lên tiếng vụ khách Tây nam giới mặc váy HMông gây phản cảm - 1 — Foreign tourists wear traditional H'Mông dresses to film entertainment videos (Image taken from a clip).

In some cases, people even draped skirts around their necks while dancing and filming for entertainment, sparking much public controversy. Many expressed outrage, believing that the local people's traditional clothing was being mocked.

However, some tour operators argue that this is a fun experience for foreign tourists exploring local culture and is not offensive.

Lo A Loi, a 29-year-old H'Mong man currently living and working in the tourism industry in Sapa, said that the trend of foreign male tourists wearing H'Mong skirts for photos has emerged in the past few months. Recently, this trend has gained popularity, causing mixed reactions.

Mr. Loi believes that using traditional clothing for the wrong purpose is a misguided act and calls on the H'Mông community to protect their ethnic culture.

According to Mr. Loi, some individuals intentionally encourage male tourists to wear H'Mong women's clothing and film clips to create unique and attention-grabbing content. However, this action is culturally damaging because some of these outfits are associated with rituals and spiritual significance.

"Those working in tourism should preserve and spread cultural identity, not contribute to cultural distortion and deviation. Culture is not for amusement, and traditions should not be made fun of," he expressed.

In response to this information, on August 6th, in a discussion with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism) of Tuyen Quang province, stated that the Department had coordinated with relevant agencies to review the roles and responsibilities of the organizations and individuals involved in order to take appropriate corrective and disciplinary actions.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism affirms that the posting of images by some individuals showing male tourists wearing traditional H'Mông women's clothing to create offensive videos is a deviant act that harms the cultural values of the community and goes against the province's orientation towards developing civilized and sustainable tourism.

Ms. Hoai affirmed that the traditional costumes of ethnic minorities are not props for entertainment, and certainly cannot be exploited to create offensive humor or gain views on social media. The tourism industry does not encourage or accept any form of distortion or degradation of cultural heritage under the guise of "experience."

"We want tourists to experience the traditional culture of ethnic groups, but it must be presented in a way that respects their identity," Ms. Hoai affirmed.

In the coming period, the Department will continue to direct and strengthen directional communication efforts, while also organizing inspections and monitoring the implementation of the code of conduct at tourist destinations, raising awareness among the community and tourists about civilized behavior, respecting national cultural identity, and contributing to maintaining the image of Tuyen Quang tourism as friendly, professional, civilized, and sustainable.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/tuyen-quang-len-tieng-vu-khach-tay-nam-gioi-mac-vay-hmong-gay-phan-cam-20250806215337540.htm