Local authorities in the northern mountains of Ha Giang Province have recently installed billboards asking tourists not to give local children candies.

At hot spots where tam giac mach flowers are blossoming, many billboards, touting a Code of Conduct for tourists, have been seen. The regulation of not giving local children candies was bold.

Candies are always a special gift for local children there. Most are ethnic minorities and born into poverty. They can only enjoy candies thanks to tourists from another corner of the Viet Nam or the world.

Many tourists have showed their dissatisfaction over the regulation, claiming that they were happy to give candies for children there, and children were happy to get them, too. Candies did no harm to them.

However, local authority had their own reasons for the candy ban. The province has seen an alarming number of children dropping out of school, right before the very first Tam Giac Mach Flower Festival, which took place between November 13 and 15. They did not go to school as they were busy asking and receiving candies from tourists at flower gardens.

Giving candies for children is a good way to make them happy. But obviously, giving too many candies for ethnic minority children is no good at all. They might get tooth decay, or worse, get illiterate.

VNS