Photo: De Agostini / C. Sappa (Getty Images)
Let’s just say that we won’t be seeing any penis statues in Vietnam anytime soon.
According to the NY Post, Vietnam culture ministry has issued a directive against “inappropriate” statues after these strange, godlike sculptures featuring animal heads with human lower halves stirred up some controversy. And why is that? Well that’s because the lower half showed some genitalia. And apparently that’s a big no-no out there in Vietnam.
So instead of tearing down the statues, which are on display at a holiday resort in Hai Phong, they were just covered up in swimwear.
After receiving complaints about these statues’ nudity, Hai Phong’s authorities decided to put some clothes on them. Here’s an example of that genius move. pic.twitter.com/FMhVN6Ejh3
— Chi Mai (@chichicheree) March 28, 2018
“We actually didn’t want to cover the statues because it’s art, but we wanted to show that we listen,” said Nguyen Trung Thanh, vice director of the Hon Dau International Tourism Company, which owns the statues.
More hilarious statues: People Are Sharing What Their Favorite Public Statues Are And Some Are Hilarious (And Bizarre)
But of course, this only reeled in more attention from the public as people can’t stop laughing at this absurd turn of events.
NY Post
One male statue with a horse’s head had been dressed in what appeared to be a red miniskirt. Another, with a goat’s head, had been clad a tight pair of green swimming briefs.
“We covered them up, but only the parts of the body people find offensive,” Thanh told Reuters by telephone.
“They’re supposed to be naked.” Thanh’s company later swapped the sculpture swimwear for plastic leaves and fruit.
But the culture ministry was not amused. “The recent construction and display of statues and symbols have had contents and forms that are inappropriate to Vietnamese culture,” the ministry said in its directive, published on its website.
Check this out one:
And now pic.twitter.com/F6FSmmLV9a
— Anh Chí (@AnhChiVN) March 28, 2018
The ministry believes these statues have a negative impact on the “cultural environment” and “aesthetic taste” of society. In reality, these half-naked things probably bring more tourists to the area. Plus people are talking about them, which would had never happen if they weren’t “inappropriate.”
