Áo dài show at the Huế Áo Dài Festival 2024 programme. VNA/VNS Photo

THỪA THIÊN - HUẾ An art programme featuring áo dài (traditional long dress) collections by 12 famous designers across Việt Nam took place on September 23 evening at the Hương River Theatre in Huế City, the central province of Thừa Thiên - Huế.

The Huế Áo Dài Festival 2024 programme, themed Linh Phụng (Phoenix), was one of the highlights of the Autumn Festival within the framework of Huế Festival 2024.

The áo dài collections were inspired by the image of a phoenix in architectural decoration and royal costumes of the Nguyễn Dynasty combined with the beauty of modern Vietnamese áo dài.

Lê Quang Tú, the programme's general director, said that the most special feature of this year's áo dài festival was the combination of all art forms including singing, dancing, music and fashion revolving around the theme of the phoenix, one of the four sacred animals together with dragon, unicorn, and turtle.

The programme was expected to spread the message of appreciating and spreading the traditional cultural values of the nation as well as the beauty and value of the traditional dress.

In Vietnamese culture, the image of a phoenix appeared very early, becoming a familiar pattern in traditional architecture, sculpture and decoration.

In Huế – the capital of Việt Nam's last feudal dynasty, the entire wooden architecture above the main gate of Ngọ Môn in the Imperial Citadel is called Ngũ Phụng (Five Phoenixes) Pavilion. Vietnamese people believe that the appearance of the phoenix is a sign of good luck, marking the beginning of national peace and prosperity, and people's well-being. VNA/VNS