Today is a warm 32°C, full sun and no cloud cover. I like many other westerners in the city find wearing as little as possible the easiest option in such clammy climates. A vest top and short shorts is usually the order of the day, when I’m not teaching. To be honest, it’s a wonder I haven’t become a naturist since moving to ‘Nam. In stark contrast, however, the Vietnamese women choose to cover up to protect themselves from the sun. After all, paler skin is very desirable here, the paler the better in the eyes of many Asian people.
I’m used to seeing women wearing traditional áo dài (the elegant tight-fitting silk tunics worn over pantaloons) and many others wear thin, long sleeved cotton gloves to protect their arms from the sun whilst riding their bikes. So, imagine my surprised when I exited school one lunch time, working my way through the maze of proud parents on bikes waiting patiently for their little darlings, only to be distracted by – well, a walking wardrobe. This lady was wearing the following: closed toed court shoes, socks, full length jeans, a long sleeved tracksuit top, woollen gloves, a scarf, face mask and sunglasses; a large brimmed sunhat under her helmet finished off the outfit. There wasn’t a peep of visible flesh and she reminded me of the scene when ET is dressed up in the movie of the same name. A little extreme in my opinion, but each to their own. I contemplated suggesting – “try some sun cream love; it might prevent the heat exhaustion”!
A xx
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