In 2020, when male officials and civil servants of the Department of Culture and Sports wore ao dai during working days and the weekly flag-raising ceremony, it immediately sparked controversy online. Then, it was not just the cultural sector, at important events, the provincial leaders (now Hue City) and intellectuals also began wearing ao dai. The appearance of the traditional ao dai for both men and women at cultural and educational events made the ceremonies more solemn, elegant, and impressive.

More than 1,000 people from all three regions of the country, wearing traditional and modern ao dai, gathered in Hue for a parade. All of this created a vibrant, colorful, and festive atmosphere right in the heart of Hue City.

On the morning of November 23, the ceremony to receive the national intangible cultural heritage title “Knowledge of Huế Áo dài tailoring and wearing” was solemnly held at the Provincial Culture and Cinema Center.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has just issued a decision to recognize “The Knowledge of Making and Wearing Hue Ao dai” of Thua Thien Hue Province as part of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. This serves as an impetus for the Thua Thien Hue Garment Association to promote the introduction of the five-panel Ao dai into schools.

“The fact that “Knowledge of Tailoring and Wearing Hue Ao Dai” having just been enlisted as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage not only is an honor and pride, but at the same time, affirms that Hue Ao Dai always carries the traditional cultural values of the nation and has a strong vitality throughout history,” emphasized Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Director of the provincial Department of Culture and Sports when sharing the story about the new recognition of it with Thua Thien Hue Weekly.

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.

The memory of Ao dai in me is simply the image of my mother wearing an Ao dai, in a rush carrying a basket in one hand and hastily putting on a gray Ao dai with the other, getting ready to go to the market. And so, over time, the elegance of the Ao dai worn by Hue’s women, with its flowing silhouette, naturally became a part of me.

On the night of March 6, Hue Monuments Conservation Center announced that they would offer free entrance ticket for female tourists wearing traditional Ao dai to visit relics on International Women’s Day.