HCMC — A talkshow introducing the áo dài and its history to local and international audiences has been organised as part of the Áo Dài Festival 2018 being held in HCM City.

Lê Thị Ngọc Bích, head of the HCM City’s Women’s Association, said on Thursday the festival has become an important cultural and tourism event, promoting tourism in HCM City and the image of the national costume of Việt Nam, the áo dài.

This year, the talkshow on Thursday for female consul generals and wives of consul generals in HCM City was held for the first time with the aim of introducing this costume and strengthening the cultural exchange between Việt Nam and other countries.

Indian Consul General K. Srikar Reddy in Việt Nam expressed his impression with the image of women in áo dài. He said the Vietnamese áo dài shares many things in common with the Indian traditional costume sari. He hoped that the áo dài will be introduced more widely and Indian people would also get the chance to know more about and wear it.

“Áo dài makes women more charming and delicate, and it also reflects the traditional culture of Vietnamese people,” said Tôn Nữ Thị Ninh, a top Vietnamese diplomat.

As a person having a special love for the áo dài and a passion for protecting and preserving the values and quintessence of the national heritages, designer Sĩ Hoàng expressed his honour to design an áo dài for the wives of high level officials.

The Queen Margrethe II of Denmark also ordered an áo dài from Hoàng during a visit to Việt Nam and wore at a World Wildlife Fund Denmark event at the Fredensborg Palace in 2012.

“Making an áo dài for diplomatic events requires great meticulousness and cleverness as the costume they don must be able to show the beauty of women and the image of Vietnamese women to international friends,” Hoàng said. — VNS