Designer Vo Viet Chung: Designing Ao Dai is a passion

Designer Vo Viet Chung.

With these efforts, Vo Viet Chung was honored to receive the Third Class Labor Medal from the State and he considers it a great motivation to strive and inspire the next generations. On the occasion of participating in the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival 2025, designer Vo Viet Chung shared about his career with Dong Nai Weekend.

Ao dai is inspiration and passion

* Having spent 30 years pursuing the fashion industry and especially designing Ao Dai, is this your greatest passion?

- Ao dai is my passion, my life, I have been a designer in the fashion industry for 30 years, every time I organize or am invited to participate in Ao dai programs and events, it is an honor and happiness. My contributions to Ao dai are just a small part of the journey to preserve and honor the beauty and traditional values ​​that society is carrying out.

To me, the ao dai has a unique beauty that cannot be fully discovered. I feel that the ao dai is a treasure, and since it is a treasure, it must be preserved and allowed to continue to be present in our lives.

* What is the biggest inspiration in your career?

- First of all, it started with my mother. My love for fashion originated from my mother's scarves. She was a great inspiration for me in terms of personality as well as design career. Until 2000, when I was studying in Milan (Italy), the pictures of my mother and grandmother in the traditional Vietnamese traditional dress and black silk pants were the inspiration for my assignment to design costumes using traditional materials in my country. Later, as a fateful fate, I decided to choose my own path with the traditional Vietnamese traditional dress and silk fabric.

Vietnamese women are very beautiful, especially mothers, that is my own source of inspiration that helps me to develop my creativity.

Designer Vo Viet Chung's Ao Dai collection performed at the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival 2025.

* Considered to be the one who made great contributions to reviving American silk, could you please share more about this?

- My A silk fabric is a story that has been ingrained in the blood of the people in Tan Chau, An Giang. That is, every time the farming season is over, people immediately think of weaving fabric, the fabric is dyed from the fruit of the mac nua. For me, this is a story that can never be told, I am only a small part, grasping it for a period of time because the heritage is a very large and long journey; I alone cannot do it. The journey to restore and develop this fabric is arduous, facing many challenges: human resources, raw materials, looms, finance... Difficulties can make anyone give up, but fortunately thanks to positive energy, I have overcome it.

* Having devoted so much effort to restoring the My A silk weaving craft, is that wish truly fulfilled for you?

- Honestly, not yet. Although some places in the world now know about Vietnamese fashion, the fashion map has My A silk, Mac Nua… but for the craft village to develop and survive for a long time, that is a very big story, requiring participation from many sides. There are also many people meeting, wanting to learn, invest but still cannot develop as desired. In my opinion, My A silk is wonderful, it is a pity that many people have not used it.

My ambition is more, that American silk is a fabric known to the whole world. That is what I have cherished for many years and I always strive for every day.

Vo Viet Chung is a leading Vietnamese ao dai designer, with his own fashion brand since 1995. In 2020, he was awarded the Third Class Labor Medal. He has won the Mai Vang Award for Outstanding Designer five times and is also the owner of 14 copyrights for beauty contests.

Keep the faith to honor traditional beauty

* Not only are you a designer, you are also the organizer of many beauty contests. So what are the criteria you aim for through those programs and events?

- In my opinion, the contests that Vietnam organizes must be organized in such a way that the value of women's beauty is honored and traditional values ​​are spread. Unfortunately, sometimes and in some places, this issue is not standardized.

As for myself, from big things to small things, when I go abroad, whenever I have the chance, I always want to wear the traditional Ao Dai. Not wearing Ao Dai to prove that I am Vietnamese, but I believe that a traditional costume always has its own beauty, even not inferior to modern designs. Whenever Vietnamese products, especially from craft villages, are bought and appreciated by international customers, it is a very proud thing.

Nowadays, society is changing rapidly, but there are also many young people who are passionate about maintaining traditional identities and beauty, and they are also very talented. How do you place your trust in them?

- Our young generation is very talented, you, the seniors, should create conditions for them to connect with each other and connect generations. Young people have good thinking that we sometimes have to respect and learn from, so we cannot keep our point of view that we are better, but must spread it so that young people have the opportunity to work together and develop their qualities in design and other jobs.

If you have a little bit of fame and then become complacent and not care about others, it is not good. Everyone has their own strengths. Your efforts will be recognized by society and in the effort to assert yourself at the top, you need to have the responsibility to support and guide the next generation.

10 years ago, I thought about this and have been actively implementing it, cooperating with many young people. Currently, many young designers are also starting to lead My A, I am very happy because the more people do it, the better, I really support them. The key is that we should join hands to do it more professionally, so that the craft village can develop and the people there will be more attached to the profession.

* You were awarded the Third Class Labor Medal by the State. Is this a motivation for you to continue to fulfill your aspirations in the future?

- I am very honored and proud to be the first person in the fashion industry to be awarded the Third Class Labor Medal by the State.

It has been 30 years now, but for me, the passion for everything is still as fresh as yesterday. The love for Ao Dai is still burning brightly and the energy is still abundant, ready to devote to new projects.

* Thank you!  

Dao Le

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202503/nha-thiet-ke-vo-viet-chung-thiet-ke-ao-dai-la-niem-dam-me-1002e30/