Vietnamese fashion designer Le Thanh Phuong will produce 30 sets of ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) for a fashion show in New York City on January 25-27.

The president of the Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education (IVCE), Tran Thang, told the English-language daily Viet Nam News earlier this week that the show, which is forming part of the Asian Lunar New Year 2013 programme at the American Museum of Natural History, will present different Vietnamese traditional styles of ao dai.

He said the IVCE is proud to be organising this event, along with a Dong Ho folk painting and calligraphy exhibition that is also part of the programme.
 
It is a dynamic time in New York City to showcase the beauty of Vietnam to the greater public.

The institute, a non-profit organisation founded in New York in 2000, has been screening five short films from Vietnam at colleges and universities in New York , Washington and California from October through December.-VNA