Siew’s photo caused controversy in the Vietnamese community. —Photo courtesy of the model
HÀ NỘI — Siew Pui Yi, a Malaysian adult model and influencer who sparked outrage by wearing an áo dài without any trousers, has apologised to the Vietnamese community for disrespecting its culture.
The apology was written in Vietnamese and posted on her Facebook page on Wednesday.
“During my recent travels to Việt Nam, there was a post of mine that truly upset the people, and I deeply and sincerely apologise for my content and the disrespect to the traditional culture of Việt Nam, which I have now taken down.”
“I absolutely loved my travels. I do hope to have another opportunity to return to Việt Nam and, of course, take a different approach to my content. I apologise once again and will be more sensitive to local cultures all over the world,” she wrote.
Early in April, Siew flew from Singapore to Đà Nẵng and stayed at a resort near Hà My Beach in Hội An.
On April 4, the 24-year-old model posted two photos of herself wearing an áo dài without trousers while releasing lanterns into the Hoài River, which quickly went viral.
Many Vietnamese condemned the eroticised pictures as “inappropriate” and “disrespectful” as the áo dài is a traditional costume of Việt Nam and represents the graceful beauty of Vietnamese womanhood.
Following numerous comments from locals, the Department of Culture and Information collaborated with the Hội An City Police to clarify the incident.
Tống Quốc Hưng, Head of Hội An Department of Culture and Information, said that there were specific regulations for tourists when visiting the locality, printed in two languages for visitors to understand.
“The incident happened due to the visitor’s lack of consciousness, but we do not support this because it affects the image of Hội An,” he said. VNS
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