Young people 'fall in love' with traditional costumes - A connection from the past to the present

Not just artifacts displayed in museums or appearing only in stage plays, Vietnamese traditional costumes have now touched the breath of daily life, with the main connecting thread being the love of young people for the beauty of traditional culture.

Vietnam has always been likened to an endless cultural treasure, with many heritages imbued with identity. Like other countries, Vietnamese costumes are always an endless source of inspiration and national pride. Over time, in the process of integration, influenced by the way of dressing from many places, those values seem to gradually sink into oblivion. In the past three years, people have gradually seen more and more traditional costumes appearing in daily life. It is worth mentioning that the people who bring that beauty back to the present are young people, with love, passion and a bit of "not being able to bear" to see this quintessential value fade away.

First of all, we must mention the artistic products that are communicated to the public. For example, some MVs such as: Anh oi o lai (Chi Pu) with royal costumes and the fairy tale Tam Cam as the origin, De Mi noi cho ma nghe (Hoang Thuy Linh) with the original story being the work Vo chong A Phu and the costumes of the Mong people; Khong the cung nhau suot kiep (Hoa Minzy) inspired the script and the appearance from the love story of Queen Nam Phuong. Recently, the movie Nguoi vo cuoi cuoi (director Victor Vu) also impressed with hundreds of ancient costumes depicting the life of 19th century mandarins in the North, creating characters with buns or hair tied up, five-panel shirts with tight or loose sleeves, necklaces, and necklaces.

Not stopping there, Vietnamese traditional costumes have been confidently worn by young people on the street, in photo shoots, fashion shows, or at weddings - the most important day of their lives. Choosing Nhat Binh and five-panel ao dai on their engagement day, the couple Pham Thai - Huyen Anh, in Ha Nam, said: "We learned about this costume when we watched clips of some young people online, and our first impression was that it was beautiful. And when we decided to learn more, we found out that it was a royal costume for the first, second, third, and fourth-rank concubines and was the regular costume of the queen and princesses during the Gia Long era, so we chose it as our wedding costume, as a way to make the happy day more meaningful and imbued with traditional features." On social media platforms, many young content creators have brought the five-panel ao dai closer to viewers. Among them, many are men, and by creatively conveying their videos, they quickly received many compliments and requests for addresses to buy similar traditional costumes.

Or like young man Vu Duc, who is the leader of the research team and provides solutions for Great Vietnam traditional costumes, with the desire to bring traditional costumes into cultural and artistic projects that have a great influence on the community. In Hue, there are designers Quang Hoa, Viet Bao... who are the ones who brought the five-panel ao dai back and spread it throughout the ancient capital. They have continued, preserved the value of traditional ao dai and constantly innovated to convey messages and humanistic values through Hue ao dai.

Commenting on this positive point, Dr. Phan Thanh Hai - Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue said that awareness of traditional cultural identity and appreciation of the beauty of Vietnamese costumes are being raised among young people. It is worth mentioning that young people who are passionate about preserving and spreading traditional costumes are also the links between the past and the present.

Not stopping there, recently, in Hanoi, a more advanced traditional costume line was born and received much attention, called "Thuong Van". From thinking about the Vietnamese culture of dressing and how to wear traditional costumes properly, Thuong Van has nurtured and nurtured the desire to restore the traditional Vietnamese costumes. Since 2016, people passionate about traditional costumes have traveled to craft villages to find silk weaving, dyeing, and sewing artisans who are still passionate about the profession and sent them the wish to restore the proud traditional Vietnamese ao dai.

Based on the artisan’s ao dai construction techniques, Thuong Van’s designers spent 5 years creating the initial ao dai, adjusting them to the wearer’s body shape and creating and adjusting them to suit the present. Thuong Van uses color coordination to express the wearer’s ideas and views when appearing. Therefore, each ao dai by Thuong Van is not only a costume, but also the ideology and character of the wearer.

The difference is that these expensive ao dai are completely hand-sewn by artisans, working continuously for many days. The hand-sewing technique of these veteran artisans is often compared to the old saying: “Inside is like glue, outside is exposed to lice eggs”, meaning that each stitch is very delicate and meticulous, reaching a level of sophistication. Wearing traditional costumes just because you like them or follow the trend is not enough. Meeting artist Nguyen Duc Binh - Head of the Vietnamese Communal House Club, he said that it is necessary to have the right orientation for the wearer about the ups and downs of history, function, aesthetic value and context of wearing those costumes.

For example, with the five-panel ao dai that has been strongly restored recently, the elements that create the cultural identity of this type of shirt are formed and resonated from the style and behavior of the wearer. Modesty, discretion, harmony, sophistication but still hidden behind is elegance, strength, and grace are elements of the Vietnamese cultural identity expressed on the five-panel ao dai. Or like the tac ao, which is a type of clothing often used in ceremonies... "The way to wear this type of shirt is to always clasp your hands in front of your stomach, showing respect. Therefore, the sleeves will be long and wide. Young people when wearing this type of shirt also need to pay attention to the above point. It is necessary to emphasize again that orientation is very important in the journey of preserving, conserving, and promoting these traditional values", artist Nguyen Duc Binh shared.

From the perspective of a manager, with many concerns about cultural revival, Dr. Phan Thanh Hai commented that over the past years, the trend of restoring and promoting the culture of wearing traditional Vietnamese costumes, especially the ao dai, has been popular in many regions across the country. For example, in Hue, there have been programs to promote the practice of wearing the five-panel ao dai for all officials during the flag-raising ceremonies at the beginning of the month and on holidays, Tet, and cultural events; proposing to periodically organize the Ao Dai Festival twice a year; regularly train, foster, and develop the team of designers and tailors of costumes;... Dr. Phan Thanh Hai also said that in the process of reviving the heritage of the ao dai, the cooperation of the whole community is indispensable. In Hanoi, the Management Board of Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter has coordinated with the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club to open the "Traditional Ao Dai Space in the Heritage House" (No. 87 Ma May Street, Hang Buom Ward, Hoan Kiem District). This is a practical action by those who love the Ao Ngu Than, creating an opportunity for the public and tourists to admire and learn about the values of the traditional Ao Dai costume.

We are in the early days of a new year, looking back at the contributions of the authorities as well as the efforts of the whole community, Vietnamese traditional costumes promise to go far. Along with that, the tailoring profession and the custom of using traditional costumes will soon be honored and respected.

Article, presentation: Phuong Mai/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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