HCM CITY – Around 3,000 women and students from women’s organisations, universities and high schools, and celebrities showcased the áo dài (Vietnamese traditional long dress) on Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street in District 1 yesterday for the annual HCM City Áo Dài Festival.

They included the 2016 Miss Việt Nam, Đỗ Mỹ Linh, Meritorious Artists Thành Lộc and Kim Xuân, and MC Quỳnh Hoa, who are the ambassadors of this year’s festival, which had opened on Saturday night.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, deputy chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said: “The Áo Dài Festival has been organised since 2014 and become one of cultural and tourism events that play an important role in the development of the city.

“Through the event, we seek to honour the Vietnamese traditional dress and hope to encourage people, both men and women, to love and wear the áo dài.”

The festival’s highlight was music and fashion show held on Nguyễn Huệ Street last night.

More than 100 models presented the latest collections by 10 of the country’s leading áo dài designers, including Sỹ Hoàng, Đỗ Trịnh Hoài Nam, Thuận Việt, and Liên Hương.

Traditional music bands Phù Sa, Nam Việt and NM performed.

An exhibition titled “Duyên Dáng Áo Dài Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh” (Charming Áo Dài of HCM City) will be on show until March 31 at the Áo Dài Exhibition House on Nguyễn Huệ Street.

It displays more than 50 áo dài designs from various periods with descriptions in Vietnamese and English.

Also on display are a replica of the robes worn by Nguyễn Dynasty kings and áo dài worn by some women who have great contributions to the country’s politics, military, diplomacy, culture, and healthcare.

A cultural exchange called "Áo Dài and Tsumami Flowers" (Japanese traditional fabric flowers) will be held on March 11 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan.

It will be the first time Vietnamese traditional dress decorated with tsumami flowers to be on display.  

A series of talk shows and photo exhibitions on the áo dài will be held at universities, cultural centres, museums, and libraries around the city, including the Museum of Southern Women and the HCM City General Science Library. 

The organisers have invited women consuls, wives of foreign consuls and women staff of foreign consulates in the city to the festival. 

More than 111 tailor shops, dozens of garment and textile companies, and several fashion houses have signed up to offered discounts of 5-30 per cent to customers during the event.

The festival will close on March 26 and is expected to attract more than 70,000 local and foreign visitors. VNS