Two Ao dai of Empress Dowager Tu Cung return from the US

Mr. Pham Xuan Cuong received a certificate from Hue Monuments Conservation Center at the reception ceremony for Empress Dowager Tu Cung’s ao dai

The first ao dai is a red silk one with patterns and sleeves shirred in the characteristic royal style, and it is in good condition. The second ao dai is made of brocade silk that has lost its buttons and the fabric has deteriorated in some places.

In the record confirming the origin of Empress Dowager Tu Cung's two ao dai, Ms. Cong Ton Nu Kim Chi - daughter of Mr. Ung Le, granddaughter of An Phuoc Quan Vuong Hong Kien (the 10th prince of Emperor Thieu Tri, and a descendant of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family) -  informed that in the 1960s, Empress Dowager Tu Cung (the mother of Emperor Bao Dai) gave her two ao dai as souvenirs to Ms. Kim Chi's foster sister (a Vietnamese woman of French origin). In 1963, this woman returned to France and took the two ao dai with her. In 1995, she returned the two artifacts to Ms. Kim Chi, who was living in the US at that time.

The collar of the red silk ao dai with patterns; the ao dai is currently in good condition

With the desire to return these two precious mementos to Hue, the homeland of Empress Dowager Tu Cung, Ms. Kim Chi decided to authorize Mr. Pham Xuan Cuong (maternal grandson of Mr. Buu Di, a descendant of Tho Xuan Vuong Mien Dinh, the third prince of Emperor Minh Mang) to present them to Hue Monuments Conservation Center to preserve and conserve these precious artifacts as a part of the Nguyen Dynasty’s heritage.

The brocade ao dai is being displayed at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum

At the reception ceremony, Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, expressed that the two ao dai are rare and valuable artifacts with costume, cultural, and historical significance associated with the Nguyen Dynasty, reflecting the aesthetic values and royal life of the modern era. “We commit to receiving, preserving, and promoting the value of these artifacts in accordance with the functions and regulations of the law,” said Mr. Trung.

Immediately after the reception ceremony, Empress Dowager Tu Cung’s two ao dai were put on display in glass cabinets at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum for visitors to admire.