Despite the rain, Hue is still lively with ao dai and cuisine

Ao dai is designed to be appropriate for different occasions and occupations

Ao dai blends into life

Taking place on the bank of the Perfume River at Nguyen Dinh Chieu pedestrian street, the opening program opened with the collection "Silhouettes through the periods" by the designer Quang Hoa. With the idea of recreating the image of aristocratic ladies going to the palace banquet, Quang Hoa brought the image of the procession in Nhat Binh dresses and traditional male and female five-panel ao dai, going through historical periods to today.

The designer Tran Thien Khanh brought the "Four Palaces" collection which was inspired by the Vietnamese ritual of practicing the beliefs of worshipping “Mother” Tam Phu, honored by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage. On the basis of the idea of this religious ritual, motifs of mountains, rivers, lakes, temples, and landscapes of the Nguyen Dynasty are meticulously and delicately expressed on various materials: brocade and silk.

Based on the music of the song "Ve voi Hue” (Come back to Hue), the designer Viet Bao introduced to the public the collection of "Vietnam – An Epic Narrative" inspired by the line of propaganda paintings. The designs conveyed a great message about the cultural and historical story, the images of the homeland, the great men and the heroic resistance defending the country, encouraging the spirit of emulation, labor and production... The collection also showed the image of the people's daily life in ao dai with dance repertoire and the scene of "Village spirit".

Participating in Hue Ao Dai Festival, artisans from the Vietnamese Village Club brought to the program a collection of five-panel ao dai designs. The "Return to the Old Capital" collection of Nam Tuyen brand name is the result of the collaboration of Vietnamese Village Club with artist Pham Van Tuyen from Ho Chi Minh City. Autumn-Winter ao dai, wedding ao dai and office ao dai were showcased to pay tribute to Hue - the land where the ao dai Vietnam was born. On their journey to find the Vietnamese identity, members of the Vietnamese Village Club, especially artist Pham Van Tuyen, are making efforts to research sewing and tailoring techniques in order to bring traditional ao dai costumes to present life.

The first step to building a heritage dossier

As the starting activity to gradually realize the goal of building Hue into the Ao Dai capital and the culinary capital, the Ao Dai Festival and Hue Culinary Festival 2020 aim at preserving and promoting the position and role of traditional ao dai and culinary in Hue cultural life from the past to present. The festivals honour tailors and culinary artisans who are continually working to preserve and promote heritage values.

The festival is the first step and a specific move in the process of building the dossier to recognize Hue Ao Dai as a national intangible cultural heritage, proceeding to submit to UNESCO for the honour of being recognized as a world cultural heritage.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Member of the Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of Hue Festival of Ao Dai and Cuisine emphasized that the festival is the first step and a specific move in the process of building the dossier to recognize Hue Ao Dai and cuisine as the national intangible cultural heritage, proceeding to submit to UNESCO to be recognized as world cultural heritage. The festival is an opportunity to affirm that Hue is the cradle, the origin of Ao Dai Vietnam, which also preserves the quintessential values of royal and folk cuisine, contributing to the successful branding of Hue as the Ao Dai capital and the cuisine capital.

Mr. Binh said that the province will periodically organize activities to honour Hue traditional ao dai, ao dai Vietnam, Hue cuisine ... This is one of the contents contributing to the successful implementation of Resolution 54 of the Politburo, with the focus on building Thua Thien Hue to soon become a centrally-governed municipal city on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital heritage and Hue cultural identity.

Cap Anh Tai, a singer from Ho Chi Minh City expressed his surprise: “For a long time, I have known that Hue is the cradle of ao dai, but I was still surprised when I went to Hue to participate in the festival. I was able to find out the origin of the five-panel ao dai and witness the sophistication in each ao dai, pattern and design; as well as the meticulousness in each needle line and stitch to create the beauty of the ao dai. I think Hue should regularly organize Ao Dai Festival, which will be a unique highlight to attract tourists”.

Attending the festival, Dinh Hong Cuong, a researcher, Vice Chairman of the Center for the Development of Traditional Vietnamese Five-panel Ao Dai, shared: “Currently, the Vietnamese people need to identify the costumes that our ancestors have preserved for hundreds of years. Today, Hue has succeeded in bringing ao dai, including the men's five-panel ao dai, into contemporary life”.

Some images captured at the Ao Dai Festival:

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh delivering the opening speech of the festival

Opening is the collection "Silhouettes through the periods" by the designer Quang Hoa

Many people think that wearing ao dai is impractical in daily activities, but after the performance of martial arts moves, many people will surely change their minds.

"Return to the Old Capital" traditional Ao Dai collection of Nam Tuyen brand name

Expressive performances from the models

An Autumn-Winter five-panel ao dai from Nam Tuyen brand name

Through unique designs which still retain the essence of national traditions, the five-panel ao dai is also suitable for foreigners

The "Four Palaces" collection of designer Tran Thien Khanh is inspired by the ritual of practicing worship of ‘Mother’ Tam Phu

Soft and gentle

The brocade material helps women wearing ao dai become more noble and mysterious

The festival also included quite famous artists in the Vietnamese music industry, such as the singers Long Nhat, Cap Anh Tai ...

Ao dai is not only for adults but also a very beautiful attire for children...

..., at the same time, emphasizing the innocence, naivety and tenderness of the children

The collection "Royal Colors" by the designer Hanh Mai

In addition to converging elements: background, elegance, elegance and nobility ...

Vietnamese ao dai is also suitable for students' ages

Although the festival took place in unfavorable weather, it still attracted a large number of attendees

Story and photos: Trang Hien – Han Dang