 Vietnamese
people are proud of their traditional attire, an Ao dai with a turban, not
unlike the Japanese with their kimono and the French with their smart suit.
The combo of Ao dai and turban make the wearer look serious and elegant and
it is usually worn at festivals and ceremonies.
It is interesting that the attire of Ao dai and turban is common for both
women and men. The Ao dai for woman usually clings tightly to the wearer’s
body with its flaps separated at the waist, while the Ao dai for man always
hangs loosely. The turban for woman is worn high on the head while the
turban for man is worn lower. Since long ago the Ao dai and turban have been
attached to the life of people in both rural areas and cities. Normally when
there were important events in a village, men and women had to wear the Ao
dai and turban to be permitted into the communal house. Woman wore an Ao dai
made of flower patterned material and a turban made of embroidered silk
while man wore an Ao dai made of crape and a black turban. The Ao dai and
turban worn by the elders and senior people were red in colour and printed
with the Chinese calligraphic script “longevity”. The attire for
children is green, red or yellow, very eye-catching and beautiful. It was,
and for some people still is customary to wear this attire to important
events, such as a death anniversary, wedding ceremony, village’s festival
and Tet (New Year Festival). Today the Ao dai and turban are used mostly by
women. In the rural areas, especially the areas that still retain old
customs, the local people usually wear the Ao dai and turban during
ceremonies. In the cities, some young newly weds like to wear the Ao dai and
turban for their wedding ceremony to show traditional Vietnamese solemnity
and recall the old customs. Foreign visitors to Vietnam are very interested
in the Ao dai. In the ancient town of
Hoi An, Quang
Nam Province there are tailor shops specializing in making the Ao dai and
turbans to meet the demands of visitors’. Many foreign visitors like to
wear the Ao dai and turban when they attend the festivals in the north. At
Festival Hue
foreign artists also select the Ao dai and turban to wear during their
performances. Many western girls who
visit Vietnam buy this attire as a souvenir. Being an authentic dress of
Vietnam, the Ao dai and turban was selected as the attire for the Heads of
States during the closing ceremony of the APEC Meeting held in 2006 in
Hanoi.
Over time, the traditional attire of Ao dai and turban has been preserved.
In the minds of the Vietnamese, the Ao dai and turban is the national
attire.
(Source: Vietnam Pictorial) |
