Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 Nguyen Tran Khanh Van (sixth from right) and other delegates at the opening ceremony of the 7th Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival on October 11. The event is held at the Vietnam History Museum in District 1, with many excellent collections by famous designers on show. It aims at honouring traditional cultural values and the love for ‘ao dai’ – the country’s intangible cultural heritage. Besides popularising ‘ao dai’, the festival is expected to introduce HCM City’s tourist sites and people to domestic and international friends. This year’s event draws the participation of 14 designers, including Nguyen Tuan, Viet Hung, Vo Viet Chung, Ella Phan, Tuan Hai, Nhat Dung and Do Trinh Hoai Nam (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 Nguyen Tran Khanh Van shows an ‘ao dai’ design decorated with beads and patterns of traditional art. In his remarks at the opening ceremony of the 7th Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said the annual event contributes to preserving and promoting the nation’s traditional values, noting that it is held in response to the ‘Ao dai – Vietnam’s cultural heritage’ event, organised by the Vietnam Women’s Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He also highlighted the necessity to preserve the beauty of ‘ao dai’, explaining it will help build a modern Vietnamese culture (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The 7th Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival brings together famous designers, cultural researchers and artists, and features an array of activities, including a contest and a workshop on the traditional costume. It opens the campaign 'Hello Ho Chi Minh City' launched by the local tourism sector with a view to promoting the city’s image. The event has been rescheduled twice to April and July from its original date in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2014, the HCM City Ao Dai Festival has been held annually in early March, aiming to honour Vietnam’s traditional costume and promote HCM City’s tourism to domestic and foreign visitors (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The dress worn by Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 Nguyen Tran Khanh Van is part of the collection by designer Lien Huong. ‘Ao dai’ has established itself as a cultural symbol connected with the image of Vietnamese women. It has seen significant changes through the years but its traditional characteristics have still been preserved, contributing to enhancing the charming beauty of Vietnamese women. Over the past hundreds of years, ‘ao dai; has been an endless source of inspiration for movies, music and fine art, and part of the soul of Vietnamese people at home and abroad. In the mind of Vietnamese people and the eyes of international friends, ‘ao dai’ is a symbol of Vietnamese culture and quintessence (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Nguyen Tran Khanh Van won the ‘Miss Ao Dai’ title twice, at the Miss Universe Vietnam 2015 and 2019 contests. The word “ao dai” has been included in the Oxford dictionary that explains ‘ao dai’ is a Vietnamese woman’s long-sleeved tunic with ankle-length panels at front and back, worn over trousers. The dress is worn on various occasions, from family gatherings to diplomatic events, art performances, festivals, especially the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, fashion shows and beauty contests, both at home and abroad. While it is simple to wear, the costume highlights the beauty of women. ‘Ao dai’, therefore, has become a popular attire of Vietnamese women (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Van said she is proud to wear the traditional costume of the country and hopes that via this year’s ‘ao dai’ festival, international friends will have better understanding of the beautiful dress of Vietnamese women. The traditional dress has played an important role in promoting Vietnam’s tourism. Tourists to the country, especially women, often bring home ‘ao dai’ as a special souvenir. Over the past years, many designers have breathed a new life into ‘ao dai’ with new designs. Such designers as Minh Hanh, Vo Viet Chung and Si Hoang have contributed to promoting ‘ao dai’ in the regional and international fashion industry (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The exact origin of ‘ao dai’ is unknown though researchers concluded that its history dates back to thousands of years ago with different designs. The oldest image preserved so far of ‘ao dai’ was ‘Ao Giao Linh’ (cross-collared robe) in about 1744 when South Vietnam was ruled by Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat while the North was under the control of Trinh Lords. It was then worn with black skirts and a cloth belt. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, said Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat deserved great merit in making ‘ao dai’ the official costume at that time (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Experts said that in the country’s cultural and art history, ‘ao dai’ is not only a great work of art adding to the national beauty but also a symbol of the identity and spirit of Vietnam. The traditional dress is suitable for all ages. It has become the standard costume on formal occasions or national holidays, weddings, the Lunar New Year festival, graduation days or in important competitions. Many experts held that the traditional dress offers a comprehensive evaluation of history. Through its function and the habit of using, ‘ao dai’ features the social and cultural value, art and cultural identity of the Vietnamese tradition (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Many experts have been for many years seeking the recognition of ‘ao dai’ as a national intangible cultural heritage. The dress has established itself as a cultural symbol connected with the image of Vietnamese women. It has seen significant changes through the years but its traditional characteristics have still been preserved. During the 19th century, the outfit evolved into the ‘Ao Ngu Than’ (five-panel gown). It then has two flaps sewn together in the back, two flaps in the front, and a flap hidden underneath the main front flap. The outfit had slits on both sides, features preserved in the later ‘ao dai’. However, ‘Ao Ngu Than’ is shorter and not so tight as the modern ‘ao dai’ (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Miss Universe Vietnam 2019 Nguyen Tran Khanh Van, born in 1995, shows off an ‘ao dai’ design. In the 1930s, Vietnam was under the rule of French colonialists and influenced by Western culture. The artist Cat Tuong (or Le Mur) took ‘ao dai’ to new advanced level when she combined Western dress style with the traditional ‘ao dai’. The new outfit was resized to fit perfectly women’s body with a floor-length and curved flap, a pinched waist, along with a Western-style heart-shaped collar, and puffed sleeves. However, this design was not welcomed by the public who said it did not match Vietnamese traditions (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
After only four years of popularity, the 'Ao Dai Le Mur' was temporarily put to rest as painter Le Pho removed all western influence from its design and replaced it with several renditions of the four-panel gown. From this point on until the 1950s, his style of ‘ao dai’ remained popular as it stood well with traditional ideology. In the 1960s, the costume’s popularity reached its pinnacle, especially in the south. Dung Dakao, a Saigon-based designer altered the traditional costume, adding raglan sleeves and connecting the front panel of ‘ao dai’ with the back, with the ingenious use of buttons that went from the collar to the armpit and all the way down to the hip, creating a comfortable dress (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
