THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — The 10th edition of the biennial Huế Festival, a cultural event held in Huế since 2000, included an áo dài show on Tuesday evening.

The show, which exhibited collections of the Vietnamese national long dress, was lauded by audiences for the theme. The aim of the show was to highlight the heyday of áo dài in Huế.

Despite controversial reports from researchers, áo dài is believed to have originated in Huế.

According to the Huế Festival Centre, the event’s organiser, the show, titled The Heyday of Huế, was aimed at depicting áo dài in Huế in different eras, with a focus on those worn during the imperial time under the rule of the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802-1945).

The show’s director, Nguyễn Lan Vy, said 400 sets of the traditional dress, created by qualified designers, were expected to touch the soul of Huế’s residents, who get nostalgic thinking about old times in Huế.

The designers, hailing from different regions in the country, attempted to get closer to Huế by using symbolic patterns of the city on their designs, besides mimicking the attires of royals and nobles.

Designer Ngô Nhật Huy, for instance, copied the decorative patterns of clouds on Huế’s royal architecture buildings to design stylised prints on his áo dài.

The Heyday of Huế is the first áo dài show in the Huế Festival organised by the private sector. The show is directed by Vy’s company and is sponsored by Vietcombank, the country’s largest commercial bank.

The show was well-received by the audience, thanks to its organised format and good collection of áo dài. Songs played in the background created a cheerful ambiance. 

The ticket price of VNĐ 150,000, however, made many people watch the show from outside the stands.— VNS