‘Ao dai’ week 2021 opens in HCM City

A special exhibition of two collections of ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) by renowned designers will open at the Ao dai Museum in Long Thuan Garden in district 9 on March 7. 

It includes ao dai owned by outstanding women working in politics, culture and arts, such as Dr Trinh Thi Hoa, former director of the HCM City History Museum, and veteran soldier Dang Hong Nhut, who have encouraged young women to study and develop their careers as well as live more independently.

The museum displays ao dai owned by Nguyen Thi Dinh, the first woman major general to serve in the Vietnam People's Army, former Vice State President Nguyen Thi Binh, and HCM City's well-known cai luong (reformed opera) artists, including Kim Cuong and Bach Tuyet.

A photo exhibition featuring Vietnamese women in ao dai will also be organised. Vietnamese culture and lifestyles are also captured through the lenses of artists. 

The two exhibitions will open at 206/19/30 Long Thuan Street and will close at the end of the month. 

The museum’s owner, fashion designer Si Hoang, said Ao dai Week 2021 promotes traditional cultural identity and the image of Vietnamese women.

Hoang spent 12 years to establish the museum thanks to his love for the traditional attire. “The long robes have aesthetic, historic and cultural value,” he said.

The Vietnam Women's Union, organiser of Ao dai Week 2021, encourages women to wear ao dai during March to show the charm and elegant beauty of the dress.  

In Hanoi, the union and Museum of Vietnamese Women have worked together to open a photo exhibition of 358 images featuring Vietnamese women, their place and contributions to the country. 

Highlighted works portray women and their heroic activities in the anti-French and American wars. The photos were captured by veteran artist Dinh Quang Thanh, who worked for the Vietnam News Agency.