The April 9 fashion show is part of a national campaign titled "Ao dai – Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage" launched by the Vietnam Women's Union Central Committee. It aims to emphasize the modern beauty of Vietnamese women in their traditional ao dai.

Civil servants in the central town of Hue wear ao dai to work.

The event will showcase 15 ao dai collections inspired by the cultures of 15 countries including India, Spain, Russia and Japan. The collections are done by 15 designers from across the country, using traditional materials like silk and flax fabric.

More than 400 models, including actresses and ladies from the embassies of Italy, India and Laos will take to the ramp, showcasing many ao dai varieties. The Temple of Literature will be decorated with flaxes to help people gain a better understanding of the traditional material, organizers said.

Last month, women from different localities in Vietnam were encouraged to wear the ao dai in their daily lives as a part of the "Ao dai – Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage" campaign.

Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival opens

The seventh Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai (traditional long dress) Festival kicked off on October 11 at the Vietnam History Museum in district 1, with many excellent collections of famous designers on show.

HCM City: Ao Dai Festival scheduled for October 11-12

The seventh Ao Dai (traditional long dress) Festival in Ho Chi Minh City will take place at the Vietnam History Museum in District 1 from October 11-12.

“Long story” from Ao Dai

In late June, a special show of more than 1,000 Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dresses) patterns, entitled “Ao Dai – Vietnam’s cultural heritage”, was held at the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) in Hanoi. A few days before, the first national conference on this special costume took place in Hanoi. These positive moves show Vietnam’s determination to have Ao Dai recognized as a world heritage item honoured by UNESCO.

History of "ao dai" revealed in HCMC exhibit

An exhibition on periodic changes in the traditional dress of Vietnamese women over 100 years will run in Ho Chi Minh City till July 2.

Vietnam’s world cultural heritages honoured through Ao Dai

Twenty-one collections of Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress), which featured world cultural heritages of Vietnam, were introduced to the public at a programme held at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature) on June 28.

Source: VnExpress