NATIONAL DRESS: Áo dài designs for Tết reflect the nation's folk culture and lifestyle. — Photo courtesy of Vietnam Fashion Week

HCM CITY — New collections of áo dài (Vietnamese traditional long dress) by young designers are ready to serve the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, which falls on January 29.

The collections are featured in brocade, linen, taffeta silk and satin. They include áo dài designs for women and men in vivid colours, such as banana green, light blue, red and lotus pink.

Highlighted designs use patterns and materials that are created and made by ethnic people living in remote areas across the country.

VIVID ÁO DÀI: A design from a new collection of áo dài in vivid colours for men this Tết holiday. — Photo courtesy of Quycao Fashion

“I want to highlight Vietnamese culture and lifestyle through my special designs of áo dài for Tết,” said Quý Cao, winner of the Fashion Designer Contest at FashUP 2021 and founder of the QuyCao fashion brand.

A native of Bình Thuận, Cao went on to become a self-taught fashion designer. He is familiar among young women, especially students.

For the coming Tết, Cao offer a series of áo dài for young people and kids. He said he loves working with Vietnamese fabrics.

Cao and other designers and local fashion brand names are offering áo dài in different styles and patterns, satisfying women and men who want traditional outfits for Tết.

The clothes are made of voile and velvet, and have printed or embroidered patterns of flowers and cranes.

A set of áo dài and a pair of silk trousers cost only VNĐ500,000 (US$20) to VNĐ800,000 ($32), depending on quality and design.

Special and limited designs cost around VNĐ2.5 million ($100).

Designer Hà Thanh Việt offers a collection of eight designs of áo dài for women featuring Vietnamese folk culture.

He has traveled many places and is inspired by remote areas and ethnic minority women. Each of his áo dài designs is linked to stories and dreams that young women want to tell and share to the world.

“In recent years, my customers, male and female, love to wear áo dài for visits to their relatives and friends and for posing during Tết,” said Việt, who has five years in áo dài making. “My online orders for áo dài are full these days, around three weeks before Tết.”

PHOTOGENIC: Many visitors love to take photos at Áo Dài Museum, one of HCM City’s favourite tourist sites. — Photo courtesy of Áo Dài Museum

Áo Dài Museum

One of HCM City’s famous tourist sites is the Áo Dài Museum, a place to share the history of the traditional long dress with foreign visitors and future generations.

The museum has became a venue for celebrities and people who love posing with áo dài. It attracts 2,000 visitors on weekends.

“We are preparing to offer a series of cultural activities to attract visitors this Tết. Fashion shows featuring áo dài will be highlighted,” said a representative of the museum’s managing board.

Áo Dài Museum opened in 2014 and displays 500 áo dài designs dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and their subsequent evolution.

It displays áo dài owned by theatre icons such as People’s Artists Kim Cương and Bạch Tuyết, considered gurus of cải lương (reformed opera).

It also shows garments owned by national heroine Nguyễn Thị Định, the first woman major general in the Việt Nam People's Army, and former deputy president Nguyễn Thị Bình.

“Áo Dài Museum aims to introduce Vietnamese culture and lifestyle and increase people’s awareness of traditional costume,” said veteran fashion designer Sĩ Hoàng, owner of the museum.

The museum opens daily at 8:30am and closes at 5:30pm at 206/19/30 Long Thuận Street, District 9, Thủ Đức City. — VNS