Within the framework of the community Ao Dai Week - “Hue in Autumn” Festival 2026, on the morning of July 4, the Department of Culture and Sports, in collaboration with Hue Monuments Conservation Center, organized a ceremony to offer incense and flowers in commemoration of Martial Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, and holding a procession of gratitude to Martial Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, and Emperor Minh Mang.

It was not by chance that the five-panel Ao dai appeared in 1744 during the reign of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, merely by an order from the lord’s court.

Throughout the S-shaped strip of the land of Vietnam, Ao dai can be found in every region. Specifically, in Hue, Ao dai has become a part of the cultural identity and unique beauty of the people here. An important milestone in Hue Ao dai costume was in 1744, after Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat ascended the throne in Phu Xuan, he promulgated many policies and mentioned the modification of costumes. Thereafter, during the Nguyen Dynasty, the court issued an order, creating an opportunity for Hue women in particular and Vietnamese women in general to wear Ao dai regularly. Accordingly, the tradition of wearing Ao dai gradually entered the daily life of people.

On the morning of June 25, Hue Monuments Conservation Center in collaboration with the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports organized a ceremony to offer incense and flowers, and a procession of gratitude to the ancestor on the occasion of the death anniversary of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat, the person who laid the foundation of Vietnamese ao dai.