What is the National Costume of Vietnamese?

Ao Dai – the national costume of Vietnamese ladies

The national costume of Vietnamese women is Ao Dai. The dress became popular in the 1990s. Vietnamese lady wears ao dai for formal occasions, at school, or for work. The male counterpart to the ao dai is called an ao gam. The ao dai is found in every part of Vietnam, and in overseas Vietnamese communities. The prefix Áo classifies items like clothing. Dài means “long.”

Ao dai not only is very elegant but also is one of the Vietnamese’s pride. It encourages Vietnamese ladies to feel proud of their traditions and customs. For centuries, the ao dai is praised very much in poems, novels, and songs.

A modern ao dai has two parts, a high collared long dress, and pants that stop at the ankles. Costume and evening-gown áo dài may have colorful designs with flowers, birds, and pictures.

The price of an evening gown ao dai is reasonable, but maybe expensive depending on the choice of fabric and the dressmaker. Because of the light transparent fabrics, people who wear áo dài should wear light underwear.

Wearing the ao dai is very practical. It can be standard for weddings or other formal occasions. The pain white ao dai can be a common uniform in some high schools. Moreover, ao dai is being stylized now, they’re looking more fashionable and more modern with printed lines of poetry or some symbols such as suns, moons, flowers, crosses,… on the ao dai. So everyone has freedom of choice.