AO DAI

”It has become standard attire for many office workers and hotel staff as well as now being the preferred dress for more formal occasions. I feel proud of my heritage when I wear it” Ao dai

“Ao Dai” means “Long Dress”. It is a long flowing tunic that consists of two piece garment. The bottom part is loose pants that reach the ankles. The top is a tight fitting tunic with long sleeves and a high collar with two panels that float loosely down the front and back.

Originally, every ao dai is custom made. To highlight the figure of the wearer, accounting for the fit should be done carefully. Thuy, a fitter in Ho Chi Minh City, says, “To create the perfect fit, customers take their undergarments and shoes with them for the fittings.” the pants should reach the soles of the feet and flow along the floor.

But at present, because of its popularity, ao dai is being mass produced to make it more available and cheaper. To cut ao dai, synthetic fabrics are widely used because they do not crush and are quick drying. According to freedom of movement, ao dai can be still a practical uniform for daily wear.

Traditionally, ao dai is for both men and women but now traditional male attire is rarely found because of Western influence. Very simple and modest male costumes are becoming popular instead. If you go to Vietnam, you will see that most men wear light-coloured shirts with dark-coloured trousers. Anyway, Most Vietnamese people still dress conservatively. Wearing untucked shirt during the day is not acceptable as it is impolite.

Like “Sari” of India, the color can be indicative of the age and status of wearer. To symbolize the purity, schoolgirls wear pure white ao dai while unmarried women move into soft pastel shades. Only married women can wear either dark and bright colored tunics over black or white pants. For social status, the ao dai is always worn by women who works in office or who have a higher social status, while manual workers typically wear loose top and baggy pants called an “Ao Ba Ba”.

For many years, culture-shock has been widely talked about. Various groups of people have tried to defend their culture, to keep it pure. For what? Although there is the difference between the culture, it does not mean that those are bad or inappropriate for our society at all. Some may be good and useful. It is upon that we are open-minded or not. It is not necessary to change but if the change will bring good things to our community and not torment anyone, why not? Important thing is that we have to ask ourselves why we change. If we can answer frankly that we change because we think carefully that it is appropriate, not running behind the fashion. Go on.

”It has become standard attire for many office workers and hotel staff as well as now being the preferred dress for more formal occasions. I feel proud of my heritage when I wear it” says Huong, a secretary for a foreign company.

Solange

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