HO CHI MINH CITY, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Some Vietnamese professionals are questioning the moral and aesthetic values of an ongoing exhibition showcasing real human body specimens in Ho Chi Minh City, local daily newspaper Vietnam News reported Friday.
The exhibition, christened "The Mystery of Human Body" and held from June 20 to Dec. 31, showcases 131 real human body specimens preserved with plastination technique.
The organizer, a South Korean company, said the exhibition will help raise public awareness about the structure and biological activity of the human body, harmful effects of bad habits, and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. A number of local viewers, mostly youths, agreed with the organizer.
The organizer said it will donate one percent of the proceeds of ticket sales to the Operation Smile organization, which provides free surgery to local children with hare-lips and cleft palates. An entrance ticket is 200,000 Vietnamese dong (8.7 U.S. dollars) for adults and 150,000 Vietnamese dong (6.5 U.S. dollars) for children.
However, the exhibition has stirred outcries.
Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions under the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: "The exhibition is not suitable with Vietnamese culture. The specimens exhibited lack humane values, some would even make many people feel uncomfortable."
Thanh said his department refused to grant a permit for the exhibition to be held in Hanoi earlier this year.
Tran Khanh Chuong, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Fine Arts, stated: "There might be many forms of expression but when it comes to artistic exhibitions, they must meet the requirement of humanity and aesthetics. I would never support that kind of inhumane exhibition."
Nguyen Trong An, former deputy head of the Child Protection Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said: "Opening the exhibition violates law and goes against morality. Donating the body for research purposes is much appreciated, yet using the human body for commercial purposes must be criticized."