Awakening the value of Vietnamese traditional costumes

Ao dai brand Y Van Hien wants to bring traditional costumes back to contemporary life. Photo: FB Y Van Hien.

This strong comeback has motivated many young people to choose to restore, thereby starting a business and promoting the five-panel ao dai to many people, spreading the love for Vietnamese traditional costumes.

Imprint of the five-panel ao dai

The five-panel ao dai (or ao ngu than) has had a long journey through the turbulent times of the 20th century. There was a time when this dress was considered a symbol of conservatism and backwardness, so its popularity was gradually replaced by Westernized clothing.

However, when entering the 21st century and especially in the past few years, the five-panel ao dai is gradually returning to contemporary life along with pride in the traditional costume of the Vietnamese people.

Looking back, it can be seen that in 2023, there were many outstanding programs and events related to the five-panel ao dai. Not forgetting the appearance of the National Assembly delegates from Binh Dinh and Bac Lieu who brought the image of the five-panel ao dai to the parliament; or the officials of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province wearing ao dai at work... Large and small talk shows and fashion shows such as: 2023 Ao Dai Tourism Festival, Vietnamese Costume Festival Green Hair - Ao Dai, Bach Hoa Walking Program... have contributed to bringing this costume closer to many people.

Especially the appearance of the five-panel dress in music videos or Vietnamese movies such as "Hong Ha Nu Si", "The Last Wife", "The Soul Eater", "Tet O Lang Dia Hell"... shows that this costume is increasingly rising in popularity and receiving public attention.

In Hue - the homeland of the five-panel ao dai - they have been actively restoring and bringing this costume into tune with contemporary life, striving to build Hue into the "Capital of Ao Dai". In 2023, the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism a dossier proposing to include the tailoring profession and the custom of using the five-panel ao dai in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the future, the province aims to build a scientific dossier to propose UNESCO to honor the tailoring profession and the custom of using the traditional Hue ao dai as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Talking about the importance of the Ao Dai heritage, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province Phan Thanh Hai commented: "In the current period, especially in the process of world integration, we need to clearly realize that culture is a factor to identify a nation and people, in which costumes are the first and most visible identification."

Indeed, wearing traditional Vietnamese costumes not only preserves the value of traditional costumes but is also a "means" for cultural diplomacy. Evidence is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has experimented with wearing the five-panel ao dai to welcome international friends.

Vietnamese ambassadors in particular and those in the Vietnamese diplomatic sector in general have worn Ao Dai more often at embassy activities abroad. Notable examples include Mr. Ngo Huong Nam - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Tran Ngoc An - former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the United Kingdom...

In the context of integration with the trend of globalization and modernization, the strong return of the five-panel ao dai in recent times is a tireless effort, joining hands and contributing of those who love the heritage of Vietnamese ao dai. It is not only the pioneering work of management units and researchers but also the dedication of young people with passion, daring to think and dare to do to restore and promote the beauty of the five-panel ao dai.

Experience traditional Vietnamese costumes at the “Golden Journey” exhibition in South Africa. Photo: Organizing Committee.

Vitality from the essence

Recently, with the efforts of many organizations and individuals, especially young people who love tradition, phrases such as Ao Tac, Nhat Binh, Ngu Than, Giao Linh, Ao Vien Linh, Phuong Bao of Nguyen Dynasty... have become more widely known.

The Ao Dai is not simply a type of clothing, but it also contains a rich history, cultural tradition, philosophy, aesthetic concept, consciousness, and national spirit of the Vietnamese people.

As for the five-panel ao dai, according to Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh - Chairman of the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club, the traditional value of the five-panel ao dai represents modesty, discretion, dignified demeanor, and refined aesthetics... It is this characteristic traditional material that has awakened in the hearts of those who love traditional culture the strength to restore ancient costumes, thereby creating momentum for creative startups.

In fact, many young people have chosen to accompany the five-panel ao dai to develop their careers. One of them is Y Van Hien - a traditional costume brand founded by Nguyen Duc Loc. Y Van Hien's field of operation focuses on four goals: researching and restoring traditional costumes, royal and folk rituals; recreating research results and restoration through stage art, cinema, literature and performance; providing traditional cultural products for domestic and foreign markets; cultural consulting. With these four goals, Mr. Nguyen Duc Loc hopes to revive traditional culture and bring traditional costumes back to modern life.

The parade participants wore traditional costumes such as: ao dai, ao tac, traditional ceremonial dress... in the 2023 Hundred Flowers Parade. Photo: Organizing Committee.

Besides Y Van Hien, there are other organizations that also focus on researching, restoring and bringing Vietnamese traditional costumes into modern life such as Vietnam Centre, Great Vietnam, Hoa Nien - Beautiful Years...

Most of the above units are founded by young people. However, not stopping at restoration, young people also start businesses from cultural capital, building brands providing consulting services, tailoring and renting Vietnamese ao dai and traditional costumes to promote and revitalize national costumes.

Not only in the country, the vitality of the five-panel ao dai or other traditional costumes is also introduced by young people to international friends. Within the framework of Vietnam Day Abroad at the end of December 2023, for the first time, ancient Vietnamese costumes were displayed at the exhibition "Golden Journey" in South Africa, France and Japan.

According to fashion designer Nguyen Thi Nga - founder of Van Thien Y Joint Stock Company, the unit in charge of introducing Vietnamese traditional costumes at this event, this is an opportunity for young people like her to introduce and spread the values of Vietnamese fine arts in highly applicable costumes, with the desire to continue traditional cultural values through a modern perspective.

It can be seen that, looking back over nearly a century, the five-panel ao dai has gone through a journey, from familiar, to strange, and then to familiarity.

In the minds of many people, the five-panel ao dai has gradually become a representative image of Vietnamese costume culture. In the context of global integration, bringing traditional Vietnamese costumes back to contemporary life, helping traditional costumes have their own role and life, will contribute to preserving national cultural identity, especially guiding the younger generation to respect and honor traditional beauty, contributing to the development of the country, affirming the Vietnamese culture with a strong identity in the international arena.

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