Ao Dai – Traditional Dress of Viet Nam

Viet Nam’s traditional dress outfit; the Ao Dai, has an impressive and long history behind it. The long, flowing, collared top with slitted sides is worn over long, flowy pants. Decadent, colorful ao dais are most often worn to formal events, holidays and weddings, but plain white ones can be seen worn as school uniforms in some parts of the country.

Ao Dai means long dress and is pronounced ao (as in “ow, I stubbed my toe”) yai in the South and ao zai in the North. The Ao Dai most likely received its influence from the Ao Ngu Than five part dress that was first seen in the 1800s. This came after Lord Vu Vuong of the Nguyen Dynasty declared that all men and women should wear trousers covered by a button front gown. In 1930 Vietnamese fashion designer Cat Tuong began tweaking the Ao Dai’s style to create the costume that would lend its influence and style to future designers. It wasn’t until 1950’s Saigon that Tran Kim modernized the Ao Dai into what we are ultimately used to seeing today.

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As fashions have changed and Viet Nam has become influenced by outside cultures, the Ao Dai has changed to go along with the times. Ao Dais are now available in gorgeous colors with patterns and designs. The have become increasingly more form fitting over time and some even push the limits of modesty with scooped necks and off the shoulder designs.

The traditional, long Ao Dai is designed for women, but there is a men’s version available with a shorter, looser fitting tunic top. As the national dress of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese people in Viet Nam and living abroad have a great sense of pride when it comes to the Ao Dai. It is representative of the beauty of their people and their country and will likely continue to be an integral part of the Vietnamese culture.

References:
Ao Dai History
Wikipedia
Ao Dai 4 U

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