The (English pronunciation: ; (''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

''), (''

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

'')) is a Vietnamese

national garment A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...

worn by both sexes but most commonly by women. Besides suits and dresses nowadays, men and women can also wear áo dài on formal occasions. It is a long, split

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...

dress worn over trousers. translates as shirt.''Áo'' is derived from a

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...

word meaning "padded coat".
ao dai
, ''definition of ao dai in Oxford dictionary (British & World English)''. Retrieved November 3, 2014. means "long".Phan Van Giuong, ''Tuttle Compact Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English English-Vietnamese'' (2008), p. 76. "dài ''adj.'' long, lengthy." The term can be used to describe any clothing attire that consists of a long tunic, such as "nhật bình". The word was originally applied to the outfit worn at the court of the

Nguyễn Lords Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this su ...

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

in the 18th century. This outfit evolved into the , a five-paneled

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

gown A gown, from the Saxon word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the term ''gown ...

worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Inspired by Paris fashions, Nguyễn Cát Tường and other

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

artists redesigned the ''ngũ thân'' as a modern dress in the 1920s and 1930s. The updated look was promoted by the artists and magazines of Tự Lực văn đoàn (Self-Reliant Literary Group) as a national costume for the modern era. In the 1950s,

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

designers tightened the fit to produce the version worn by Vietnamese women today. The dress was extremely popular in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

in the 1960s and early 1970s. On

Tết Tết (), short for Tết Nguyên Đán (Chữ Hán: 節元旦), Spring Festival, Lunar New Year, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture. The colloquial term "Tết" is a shortened form of , ...

and other occasions, Vietnamese men may wear an (

brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...

robe A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoils" ...

), a version of the ao dai made of thicker fabric. The áo dai has traditionally been marketed with a feminine appeal, with "Miss Ao Dai" pageants being very popular in Vietnam and with

overseas Vietnamese Overseas Vietnamese ( vi, người Việt hải ngoại, or ) refers to Vietnamese people who live outside Vietnam. There are approximately 5 million overseas Vietnamese, the largest community of whom live in the Vietnamese Americans, Unite ...

. However, men also wear ao dai or modified ao dai during weddings or formal occasions. The ao dai is one of the few Vietnamese words that appear in English-language dictionaries. The ao dai can be paired with the ''

nón lá Nón lá (Chữ Nôm: 𥶄蘿; ) or nón tơi (𥶄𥵖) is a type of Vietnamese headwear used to shield the face from sun and rain. Nón lá is a typical symbol of the Vietnamese people. Nón lá is a common name for many types of hats in Vietn ...

'' or the ''

khăn vấn Khăn vấn (Chữ Nôm: 䘜𦄞), khăn đóng (Chữ Nôm: 䘜凍) or khăn xếp (Chữ Nôm: 䘜插), is a kind of turban worn by Vietnamese people which had been popular since Nguyễn dynasty. The word ''vấn'' means ''coil around''. The ...

''.

Parts of dress

*''Tà sau'': back flap *''Nút bấm thân áo'': hooks used as fasteners and holes *''Ống tay'': sleeve *''Đường bên'': inside seam *''Nút móc kết thúc'': main hook and hole * ''Tà trước'': front flap * ''Khuy cổ'': collar button * ''Cổ áo'': collar * ''Đường may'': seam * ''Kích (eo)'': waist

Origin

Switch to trousers (18th century)

For centuries, peasant women typically wore a halter top () underneath a blouse or overcoat, alongside a skirt (''váy''). Aristocrats, on the other hand, favored a cross-collared robe called ''

áo giao lĩnh The (), also known as the (). Folk often call it () or , referred to as , was a traditional cross-collared robe worn by Vietnamese before the 19th century. During the Nguyễn dynasty, it was replaced by the ''áo ngũ thân'' and became obso ...

'', which bore resemblance to historical Vietnamese clothing. When the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

occupied

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...

during the

Fourth Era of Northern Domination The Fourth Era of Northern Domination was a period of Vietnamese history, from 1407 to 1427, during which Vietnam was ruled by the Chinese Ming dynasty as the province of Jiaozhi (Giao Chỉ). Ming rule was established in Vietnam following its ...

in 1407, it forced the women to wear Chinese-style pants. The following

Lê dynasty The Lê dynasty, also known as Later Lê dynasty ( vi, Hậu Lê triều, chữ Hán: 後黎朝 or vi, nhà Hậu Lê, link=no, chữ Nôm: 茹後黎), was the longest-ruling Vietnamese dynasty, ruling Đại Việt from 1428 to 1789. The Lê ...

also criticized women for violating Confucian dress norms, but only enforced the dress code haphazardly, so skirts and halter tops remained the norm. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Vietnam was divided into northern and southern realms, with the

Nguyễn lords Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元）is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this su ...

ruling the south. To distinguish the southern people from the northerners, in 1744, Lord

Nguyễn Phúc Khoát Nguyễn Phúc Khoát (26 September 1714 – 7 July 1765) was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled over the southern portion of Vietnam from the 16th–18th centuries. Also known as Chúa Võ (主武) or Võ vương (武王) (roughly ''Martial Princ ...

decreed that both men and women at his court wear trousers and a gown with buttons down the front. The members of the southern court were thus distinguished from the courtiers of the

Trịnh Lords The Trịnh lords ( vi, Chúa Trịnh; Chữ Nôm: 主鄭; 1545–1787), formal title Trịnh Viceroy (; ), also known as Trịnh clan (鄭氏, ''Trịnh thị'') or the House of Trịnh, were a noble feudal clan who de facto ruled Northern Viet ...

in Hanoi, who wore ''áo giao lĩnh'' with long skirts. According to Lê Quý Đôn's record in the book "Phủ Biên Tạp Lục" (recording most of the important information about the economy and society of Đàng Trong for nearly 200 years), the Áo dài (or rather, the forerunner of the Áo dài) created by Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát based on Chinese Ming Dynasty costumes, by how to take the method of making costumes in the book "Sāncái Túhuì" as the standard.Đàng Trong costume in the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát - outstanding features

/ref>

19th century

The ''áo ngũ thân'' (five part dress) had two flaps sewn together in the back, two flaps sewn together in the front, and a "baby flap" hidden underneath the main front flap. The gown appeared to have two-flaps with slits on both sides, features preserved in the later ao dai. Compared to a modern ao dai, the front and back flaps were much broader and the fit looser and much shorter. It had a high collar and was buttoned in the same fashion as a modern ao dai. Women could wear the dress with the top few buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of their ''yếm'' underneath. File:Trần Nhân Tông TLĐSXSCĐ.png,

Tran dynasty Tran may refer to: Arts, media, and entertainment * "Tran", a novel in the Janissaries series named for a fictional planet * Dr. Tran, an animated miniseries People * Trần (陳), a Vietnamese surname * Tran, member of the Nazi-era comedy duo ...

robes as depicted in a section of a 14th-century scroll File:Người Giao Chỉ - Tam tài đồ hội.png, Left: Illustration of a Vietnamese man wearing the predecessor of ''áo dài'' in

Sancai Tuhui ''Sancai Tuhui'' (, ), compiled by Wang Qi () and his son Wang Siyi (), is a Chinese ''leishu'' encyclopedia, completed in 1607 and published in 1609 during the late Ming dynasty, featuring illustrations of subjects in the three worlds of heaven ...

, early 17th c. File:Giảng học đồ.png, "Giảng học đồ" (Teaching), 18th century, Hanoi museum of National History. Scholars and students wear cross-collared gowns (''

'') - unlike the buttoned áo dài File:Femme annamite coiffure tonkin crop 2.jpg, The ''

áo tứ thân The ''áo tứ thân'' (, ''four-part dress''), is a traditional Vietnamese dress commonly worn in the Northern part of Vietnam. The dress is related to the áo ngũ thân which translates as "5-part dress".

20th century

Modernization of style

's Đồng Khánh Girl's High School, which opened in 1917, was widely praised for the ao dai uniform worn by its students.Kauffner, Peter.
Ao dai: The allure and grace of Vietnam's traditional dress
", ''Asia Insights: Destination Asia'', September–October 2010 The first modernized ao dai appeared at a Paris fashion show in 1921. In 1930, Hanoi artist Cát Tường, also known as Le Mur, designed a dress inspired by the ''áo ngũ thân'' and by Paris fashions. It reached to the floor and fit the curves of the body by using darts and a nipped-in waist. When fabric became inexpensive, the rationale for multiple layers and thick flaps disappeared. Modern textile manufacture allows for wider panels, eliminating the need to sew narrow panels together. The ''áo dài Le Mur'', or "trendy" ao dai, created a sensation when model Nguyễn Thị Hậu wore it for a feature published by the newspaper ''Today'' in January 1935.. For a picture of the ''áo dài Le Mur'', se
''Ao Dai — The Soul of Vietnam''
The style was promoted by the artists of Tự Lực văn đoàn ("Self-Reliant Literary Group") as a national costume for the modern era. The painter Lê Phô introduced several popular styles of ao dai beginning in 1934. Such Westernized garments temporarily disappeared during World War II (1939–45). In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit of the ao dai to create the version commonly seen today. Trần Kim of Thiết Lập Tailors and Dũng of Dũng Tailors created a dress with

raglan sleeve A raglan sleeve is a sleeve that extends in one piece fully to the collar, leaving a diagonal seam from underarm to collarbone. It is named after Lord Raglan, the 1st Baron Raglan,''Oxford English Dictionary'' Third edition, (2008) online vers ...

s and a diagonal seam that runs from the collar to the underarm.

Madame Nhu Trần Lệ Xuân (22 August 1924 – 24 April 2011), more popularly known in English as Madame Nhu, was the ''de facto'' First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. She was the wife of Ngô Đình Nhu, who was the brother and chief advisor ...

, first lady of South Vietnam, popularized a collarless version beginning in 1958. The ao dai was most popular from 1960 to 1975. A brightly colored ''áo dài hippy'' was introduced in 1968. The ''áo dài mini'', a version designed for practical use and convenience, had slits that extended above the waist and panels that reached only to the knee.

Communist period

The ao dai has always been more common in the South than in the North. The communists, who gained power in the North in 1954 and in the South in 1975, had conflicted feelings about the ao dai. They praised it as a national costume and one was worn to the Paris Peace Conference (1969–73) by

Vietcong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

negotiator

Nguyễn Thị Bình Nguyễn Thị Bình (born Nguyễn Châu Sa; 26 May 1927) is a Vietnamese revolutionary leader, diplomat and politician who became internationally known for her role as head of the Viet Cong (NLF) delegation at the Paris Peace Conference. The ...

. Yet Westernized versions of the dress and those associated with "decadent" Saigon of the 1960s and early 1970s were condemned. Economic crisis, famine, and war with Cambodia combined to make the 1980s a fashion low point. The ao dai was rarely worn except at weddings and other formal occasions, with the older, looser-fitting style preferred. Overseas Vietnamese, meanwhile, kept tradition alive with "Miss Ao Dai" pageants (''Hoa Hậu Áo Dài''), the most notable one held annually in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. The ao dai experienced a revival beginning in late 1980s, when state enterprise and schools began adopting the dress as a uniform again. In 1989, 16,000 Vietnamese attended a Miss Ao Dai Beauty Contest held in Ho Chi Minh City. When the Miss International Pageant in Tokyo gave its "Best National Costume" award to an ao dai-clad Trường Quỳnh Mai in 1995, ''Thời Trang Trẻ'' (New Fashion Magazine) claimed that Vietnam's "national soul" was "once again honored". An "ao dai craze" followed that lasted for several years and led to wider use of the dress as a school uniform.

Present day

No longer deemed politically controversial, ao dai fashion design is supported by the Vietnamese government. It is often called ''áo dài Việt Nam'' to link it to patriotic feelings. Designer Le Si Hoang is a celebrity in Vietnam and his shop in Saigon is the place to visit for those who admire the dress. In Hanoi, tourists get fitted with ao dai on Luong Van Can Street. The elegant city of

in the central region is known for its ao dai, ''nón lá'' (), and well-dressed women. The ao dai is now a standard for weddings, for celebrating Tết and for other formal occasions. It's the required uniform for female teachers (mostly from high school to below) and female students in common high schools in the South; there is no requirement for color or pattern for teachers while students use plain white with some small patterns like flowers for

school uniform A school uniform is a uniform worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise an educational institution.They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries. An example of a uniform would be requiring button-down shir ...

and in many Vietnamese high schools, female students are required to wear ao dai on one day is Monday. Companies often require their female staff to wear uniforms that include the ao dai, so

flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

receptionist A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed to ...

s, bank female staff, restaurant staff, and hotel workers in Vietnam may be seen wearing it. The most popular style of ao dai fits tightly around the wearer's upper

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human � ...

, emphasizing her bust and curves. Although the dress covers the entire body, it is thought to be provocative, especially when it is made of thin fabric. "The ao dai covers everything, but hides nothing", according to one saying. The dress must be individually fitted and usually requires several weeks for a tailor to complete. An ao dai costs about $200 in the United States and about $40 in Vietnam. "Symbolically, the ao dai invokes nostalgia and timelessness associated with a gendered image of the homeland for which many Vietnamese people throughout the diaspora yearn," wrote Nhi T. Lieu, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The difficulties of working while wearing an ao dai link the dress to frailty and innocence, she wrote. Vietnamese writers who favor the use of the ao dai as a school uniform cite the inconvenience of wearing it as an advantage, a way of teaching students feminine behavior such as modesty, caution, and a refined manner. The ao dai is featured in an array of Asian-themed or related movies. In ''

Good Morning, Vietnam ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' is a 1987 American war comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, who ...

'' (1987),

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

's character is wowed by ao dai-clad women when he first arrives in Saigon. The 1992 films '' Indochine'' and '' The Lover'' inspired several international fashion houses to design ao dai collections, including

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

's SS08 collection and a

Georgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer. He first gained notoriety working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expande ...

collection. In the Vietnamese film ''

The White Silk Dress ''The White Silk Dress'' ( vi, Áo lụa Hà Đông) is a 2006 Vietnamese war film directed by Luu Huynh starring Truong Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quoc Khanh. With a budget of over 2 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive Vietnamese films ever m ...

'' (2007), an ao dai is the sole legacy that the mother of a poverty-stricken family has to pass on to her daughters. The Hanoi City Complex, a 65-story building now under construction, will have an ao dai-inspired design. Vietnamese designers created ao dai for the contestants in the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...

beauty contest, which was held July 2008 in

Nha Trang Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hòa District, Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh Distri ...

, Vietnam. The most prominent annual Ao Dai Festival outside of Vietnam is held each year in San Jose, California, a city that is home to a large Vietnamese American community. This event features an international array of designer ao dai under the direction of festival founder, Jenny Do.

Gallery

File:Aodai-nonla-crop.jpg, A schoolgirl in a white ao dai with ''

'' (leaf hat) of central city

File:Áo dài hồ Gươm.jpg, Young girls in áo dài by the Hoan Kiem Lake. File:Bicycle of Ho Chi Minh City.jpg, Two highschool girls in áo dài in HCMC File:Thaiquoc-ngockieu.jpg, Áo dài and ''

'' worn during wedding File:Marie Antoinette Boullard-Devé miền trung.jpg, Men in formal attire-Marie Antoinette Boullard-Devé File:Áo dài & khăn đóng2.jpg, Old man wearing traditional áo dài and

, Tết 1963 File:Jeunes filles à la galerie d'art, Hanoï en 1930.jpg, At the gallery of Hanoi in 1930 File:Cinq sœurs à Hanoï, 1950s.jpg, Five sisters in Hanoi 1950s

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

History of the Vietnamese Long Dress

Gia Long Alumni Association of Seattle, 2000
Vietnam: Mini-Skirts & Ao-Dais
A video that shows what the women of Saigon wore in 1968 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ao Dai Dresses History of Asian clothing Folk costumes Vietnamese clothing Vietnamese words and phrases