Practicing yoga in public
Recently, the online community has been arguing over the image of a Vietnamese woman wearing a tight workout outfit, performing yoga movements outside the fence of Gyeongbokgung Palace (Seoul, South Korea).
Many people believe that Korean palaces are sacred places that have existed for centuries. Therefore, when visiting these historical sites, one should behave seriously and dress modestly to avoid causing offense.
After the image was shared, some people defended the woman, saying that her actions were not condemnable. However, the majority still disagreed with the rather sensitive actions and the way the female tourist dressed.
On many forums, the woman received heavy criticism.
This is not the first time tourists have been condemned for inappropriate clothing and behavior at tourist attractions.
Not long before that, at the end of October, a foreign tourist account named A.M posted a video on the top of Fansipan (Lao Cai). Here, she met a group of tourists in tight yoga outfits, posing next to a coordinate marker. A female tourist also performed a sensitive "banana tree" yoga pose.
The clip also quickly received mixed reactions. Many netizens said that the group of guests needed to respect the public space and preserve local culture. Meanwhile, others understood the group of guests because they wanted to have a unique photo.
Similar cases around the world
In December 2023, a social media celebrity with more than 1.6 million followers caused controversy when he wore workout clothes, laid out a mat, and performed professional yoga moves on the ancient city wall in Xiangyang (Hubei, China), witnessed by many locals and tourists.
The ancient city wall was built during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It is an important historical and cultural relic that was protected at the national level in 2001.
According to SCMP, after the image of this girl was posted, many netizens in China criticized her, saying that her actions were "inappropriate", "vulgar", and even "violating public morality and order".
The same thing happened in South Korea, when a clip of a foreigner spreading a yoga mat in the middle of a crowded train station went viral. Some people thought this was a "farce" to seek attention and gain more followers.
Practicing yoga in public is controversial in many places. In San Diego (California, USA), the amended law took effect from the end of March 2024, stipulating that groups of four or more people gathering in public places to carry out entertainment or commercial activities without government approval is illegal.
The law was originally designed to target unlicensed food vendors, but has since been reworked to crack down on outdoor fitness classes, including yoga groups.
Regarding this issue in Vietnam, lawyer Dang Van Cuong, Head of Chinh Phap Law Office, said that sports, cultural and artistic activities must still comply with community living rules, ensure security, order and social safety, not violate the law, social ethics, not obstruct traffic or disturb public order.
Lawyer Cuong said that functional agencies and local governments need to disseminate knowledge and educate people about the law so that they can understand and comply with community rules and the law.
Vietnamese yoga master Nguyen Thanh Nam commented that the increasing appearance of dance groups, yoga and folk dance groups shows that the movement of physical exercise and health training is developing strongly in the community.
“If activities such as aerobics, folk dancing or yoga… are performed in the right space, they will spread the true spirit of that sport and receive a lot of sympathy, without causing others to argue or misunderstand that sport,” said the Vietnamese yoga grandmaster.
