Chat with Director of Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien

Perhaps nowhere in the world is the issue of clothing as controversial as in Vietnam. Recently, right at the National Assembly, the issue of clothing once again stirred up public opinion with both praise and criticism, the source of which was the appearance of a delegate in a five-panel ao dai and a turban to a meeting.

But that is not the real problem because this is not the first time this delegate has dressed like this and in fact he is not the only one who has chosen this style of dress. The problem is that, in his speech during the discussion session on socio-economics and the state budget, he suggested that the National Assembly consider including in the session resolution allowing delegates to wear the five-panel ao dai at meetings, in addition to wearing suits.

National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Van Canh (Binh Dinh delegation) wearing a five-panel ao dai attends meetings of the 5th session of the 15th National Assembly.

And from this proposal, a debate has arisen, which is not old but never ceases to be hot. To broaden public opinion, Nguoi Dua Tin had an interview with Dr. Phan Thanh Hai - Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien - Hue about this topic of interest.

Luggage to integrate with the world

The Messenger (NDT): Sir, recently the appearance of a delegate in a five-panel ao dai and the proposal related to this type of costume on the National Assembly forum has really become a topic of much discussion. To start today's conversation, let me first ask you this question: Is how to dress really worth becoming a story that needs to be told, discussed, or even further regulated?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: For a long time, the use of traditional costumes, aiming to form a national costume, has been the desire of many cultural managers and researchers. However, for many different reasons, we have only stopped at discussing this issue at seminars, conferences and forums. The concretization of these ideas, turning them into reality has not achieved the desired results.

Regarding the recent proposal of delegate Nguyen Van Canh at the National Assembly forum, he suggested that the National Assembly consider including in the resolution allowing delegates to wear the five-panel ao dai for men at meetings, in addition to suits. That is, he hopes that the National Assembly will provide another suitable option, instead of the rigid rule that male delegates can only wear suits.

At the same time, he affirmed that allowing men to wear the five-panel ao dai at conferences and events helps responsible agencies and people have a realistic view and have time to see more clearly about traditional values; aiming to propose building a separate set of traditional costumes for Vietnamese people at major cultural conferences and state diplomatic events. I think that is a suitable recommendation.

I think it is time for us to seriously and objectively look at the issue of choosing national costumes and formal wear. I completely agree with the regulation: The Vietnamese formal dress is the traditional ao dai, including both men and women. Our ao dai completely meets the requirements of formality, beauty, and cultural identity of a formal dress. But there should be specific regulations on specifications, colors, decorative motifs, and accompanying accessories.

A country with a history of building and defending the country for thousands of years with a long-standing culture cannot do without national costumes and ceremonial costumes. This is an extremely valuable asset for us to integrate with the world without being dissolved.

Investor: Sir, if we talk about national costumes or state costumes, why is it the five-panel ao dai and not some other type of costume? Because in history, the five-panel ao dai was not the only type of costume that men ever wore?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: First of all, it is because the five-panel ao dai is a unique creation of the Vietnamese people, and historically, it has been the national costume of all our people for hundreds of years, when the country was unified and had the same territory as it does today.

The five-panel ao dai was originally created by the people of Dang Trong around the beginning of the 17th century, and was gradually perfected. After Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat ascended the throne in 1744, he planned and rebuilt the capital city of Phu Xuan, proclaimed himself king, and carried out many reforms, including the government apparatus, the system of clothing and music, and renewed customs and costumes throughout the entire land of Dang Trong.

For civilian clothes, he required both men and women to wear a five-panel shirt with a raised collar and buttons on the right side, along with two-legged pants, with hair in a bun on the head, and a turban or scarf (for women), which was a type of clothing that had been perfected and was very popular among the people.

During the Nguyen Dynasty, the court wanted to unify the costumes of the two regions, starting from King Gia Long (following the amendments of King Vo Nguyen Phuc Khoat), and then under King Minh Mang, it was implemented resolutely. From the perspective of needing unity and cultural autonomy in terms of costumes, King Minh Mang issued many regulations to change costumes to create unity between the two regions of the South and the North. The five-panel ao dai, standing collar, fastening 5 buttons on the right side with two-legged pants was officially recognized as the national costume of our country, popular from the royal court to the common people.

Thus, the five-panel ao dai was born in the early 17th century, established by Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, and then regulated by Emperor Minh Mang as a common costume for all people, popular throughout the country.

Up to now, this special costume has had more than 300 years of history. Its classical beauty and cultural values ​​have been tested and affirmed. Therefore, the five-panel ao dai deserves to be chosen as the national costume or state costume for the Vietnamese people. Wearing the five-panel ao dai will honor the national culture, help us be more aware of our origins, thereby being more proud of our country.

Good news in preserving Vietnamese cultural heritage

Investor: The five-panel ao dai used to be the everyday clothing of society, so why is it so difficult to restore a tradition that has existed for so long? What is your opinion on this issue?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: The five-panel ao dai used to be a daily outfit used by Vietnamese people. However, preserving and promoting the value of the five-panel ao dai today also faces many obstacles. First of all, it is due to the perception of some people that the men's ao dai is not as convenient and neat as a suit. But the problem is that most people who think like that have never worn or experienced the ao dai. I think men wearing ao dai still exude an elegant and neat appearance.

Investor: Sir, when and how did the issue of restoring and promoting the value of the five-panel ao dai begin?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: The issue of restoring and promoting the value of the five-panel ao dai has attracted the attention of the social community in the past 3 years, associated with the activity of building the brand "Hue - Capital of Vietnamese ao dai". This is the story of reviving a traditional cultural heritage, bringing that heritage into contemporary life, and letting it shine as it once did. The Department of Culture and Sports took the lead, followed by many agencies, departments and branches in the province to wear ao dai in offices, daily life and cultural activities.

I know that there are clubs with tens of thousands of young members that have a rule of wearing the five-panel ao dai during activities.

It can be said that the movement of researching and restoring traditional costumes, including Ao Dai, and bringing this heritage into contemporary life has been receiving much attention and warmly welcomed by young people. This is truly a positive signal, showing that young people are increasingly aware of the value of cultural heritage, the beautiful and proud Vietnamese traditional costumes, as well as the necessity of expressing the uniqueness of their nation in the flow of human culture.

Investor: In recent years, there have been projects, organizations and individuals who are “dedicated” to restoring and promoting the value of the five-panel ao dai. How do you evaluate these signals, especially the values ​​it brings?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: It must be affirmed that these are encouraging and valuable signals in restoring and promoting the value of the five-panel ao dai. It not only shows that there are still many people who are attached to this type of costume, but also contributes significantly to affirming that the five-panel ao dai is still “alive” in the midst of modern life. Many people, especially young people, know, love and use the five-panel ao dai due to the spread of such projects or individuals.

Like Prof. Dr. Thai Kim Lan is the owner of the Huong River Ancient Ceramic Museum, which preserves a rare collection of Ao Dai. She always believes that Ao Dai is not old-fashioned or outdated but still very fashionable, honoring the beauty of Vietnamese people. Ao Dai emphasizes harmony, reflecting the spirit and pride of the nation.

Although not officially declared as the national costume, the ao dai has entered the consciousness of many generations of Vietnamese people, becoming the costume that identifies the identity of Vietnamese people to foreigners.

Or like designer Quang Hoa is one of the people who brought the five-panel ao dai back and spread it to the ancient capital of Hue. Designer Quang Hoa has continued and preserved the value of the traditional ao dai and constantly innovated to convey messages and humanistic values ​​through Hue ao dai. To develop his passion, he is still nurturing many new projects to create five-panel ao dai with the brand and characteristics of Hue.

These are typical individuals, and the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club is one of the first organizations to carry out the campaign to bring the traditional five-panel ao dai for men back into life. Since 2015, the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club has continuously organized activities to promote and propagate to help the public understand the value of the traditional ao dai.

The Center for Supporting the Development of Traditional Five-Pane Ao Dai - Vietnamese Village Communal Houses has recently promoted and supported artisans and consumers to access traditionally sewn products that are suitable for today's life. Up to now, the sewing and wearing of traditional Ao Dai is achieving positive results. The number of people sewing and wearing Ao Dai with five panels is increasing and spreading in the community, especially among the young generation.

It can be said that the above mentioned individuals and organizations have contributed to the revival and promotion of the value of the Ao Dai in the context of contemporary life.

Ao dai associated with sustainable cultural industry development

Investor: Hue is currently the leading locality in preserving and promoting the value of Ao Dai. Could you please tell us what the locality expects from Ao Dai, the connection between Ao Dai and Hue, especially the values ​​it brings to the development of the province?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: Currently, Thua Thien Hue is promoting the sustainable development of cultural industry. Ao dai is truly a special craft industry to create impressive products. Therefore, the implementation of the project "Hue - Capital of Ao dai" will create opportunities for businesses to participate in the process of production, supply, introduction and promotion of Hue ao dai products to the Vietnamese community and international friends.

I can give a specific example in 2019, Hue welcomed more than 4.9 million visitors. If we could serve only 20% of visitors coming to Hue to have Ao Dai made at a cost of about 1 million VND/visitor, the expected revenue could reach over 900 billion VND/year.

Along with Ao Dai, it is possible to promote the development of traditional handicrafts and supporting accessories. This is the way to develop cultural industries, serve domestic and export needs, create jobs, bring revenue to businesses, increase income for people, and preserve and spread traditional cultural values.

Investor: From the practical story that Hue is implementing, what do you think needs to be done to truly "revive" the ao dai sustainably in modern life?

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai: We always determine that heritage must belong to the community, must be held by the community and must join hands to protect and promote its value, then that heritage can be sustainably protected and its value best promoted. Ao dai is a special heritage of the ancient capital of Hue, and it originally belongs to the community. Therefore, our work is to "revive" the ao dai and bring the ao dai heritage back to contemporary social community life, encouraging the community to participate in protecting and promoting this heritage.

This is also the process in which we gradually build the image and brand of Hue Ao Dai, making Ao Dai a unique cultural tourism product, a special advantage of the ancient capital of Hue. And so, Ao Dai is not only the image and cultural identity of Hue but also a typical tourism service product, an important contribution to making Hue rich and luxurious with its own strengths and advantages.

I believe that, with the attention of the provincial leaders, the efforts of the Department of Culture, Sports and related departments, and especially with the strong support of the local community, the Hue - Ao Dai Capital project will be successfully implemented and bring about many encouraging results.

Investor: Thank you for the conversation .

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/tro-chuyen-voi-giam-doc-so-vhtt-thua-thien-hue-ve-quoc-phuc-a613345.html