Malaysia is known as the 'tropical paradise' of Southeast Asia, which attracts visitors not only by its beautiful natural landscape, but also by its impressive culture and customs. However, in order to have a smooth travel journey, you definitely must not fall into these taboos in Malaysia.
Tourists need to memorize these taboos in Malaysia!
1. Don't show affection in public
If in Vietnam, showing affection in a crowded place such as: Holding hands, hugging, ... is completely normal, but for Malaysians, it is taboo. Whether you do it with your lover or even a husband and wife, it is not advisable, because it will cause discomfort to the locals. Therefore, this is also something to avoid when traveling in Malaysia .
In Malaysia, you should not show affection in public
2. Shake hands with the opposite sex
This is also one of the taboos in Malaysia you should know. Because the majority of Malaysians are Muslim, they are very shy about touching their skin, especially with women. Besides, they also don't like being in close contact with strangers of the opposite sex, so when you come here, you don't need to take the initiative to shake hands to show courtesy. It is best to let them be the proactive person, it will be better, avoiding unwanted troubles.
Do not take the initiative to shake hands with Malaysian women nữ
3. Same-sex relationship
Just like in Vietnam, same-sex relationships have not been recognized by law. Therefore, if you belong to the 3rd world, to avoid discriminatory eyes, when traveling to Malaysia, you should not be affectionate, show intimate actions in public. Even casual hand-holding should keep your distance.
Malaysia has not yet recognized same-sex relationships
4. Touching someone's head
Maybe you don't know? Touching someone's head is also taboo in Malaysia and should not be done. Because like Indonesians, the head is the most sacred place of the body and should be respected. Therefore, they often do not allow anyone to touch their head with their hands. Besides, this action also shows disrespect and impolite to the opponent. So you should not do this to any of these Malaysians, or even to small children.
5. Women are not allowed to touch monks
What should you pay attention to when traveling to Malaysia? Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country, besides Islam, Buddhism also accounts for the majority here. So when you go to explore the cities in Malaysia, you will easily come across a lot of monks in this country. But there is one thing that you must know, that is absolutely not touching monks, especially women. Because if you accidentally touch any monk, they will have to perform a very complicated fasting and cleansing ritual.
Women are absolutely not allowed to touch monks in Malaysia
6. Don't dress revealingly
As a Muslim country, when you come here you will see that Malaysians are very discreetly dressed, often covered from head to toe. Even in the hot summer, they never wear clothes that reveal their skin and flesh. Therefore, here to immerse yourself in the life of the people here, you should choose long and polite clothes.
Malaysians usually dress politely and discreetly
In addition, another taboo in Malaysia is that when you go to the beach, you absolutely cannot wear bikinis that reveal your breasts. Bring a thin cape wrapped around your body, covering sensitive parts. It also shows respect to the people around.
7. Wear shoes at home
Whether you go to a homestay or visit a church in Malaysia, you should not wear shoes inside. Instead, leave your shoes in front of the door and go gently in, that also shows respect to the owner and will receive more sympathy.
In Malaysia they don't like to wear shoes in the house
8. Use left hand
According to the concept of the people here, the right hand is the clean hand, often representing the sacred. In contrast, the left hand is the hand that often touches dirty things, so they abstain from using the left hand in important cases such as shaking hands, paying, eating, .... Therefore, if you are left-handed, when you come to this country, you need to pay special attention, if you do not want to receive the hostile eyes of the people here. And that is also taboo in Malaysia to keep in mind. In case, you accidentally use your left hand with the opposite person, you should tell them clearly to receive sympathy from the other person.
9. Malaysian gift-giving culture
Giving gifts to Malaysians is a good thing to do, but to avoid trouble, you should never give them cutable items such as knives, scissors, .... By accident they will understand that you want to sever the relationship. Besides, if giving gifts to young children, also avoid giving animals such as dogs, pigs, etc.
Learn the culture of gift giving before coming to Malaysia