LIEN LIEU
CULTURAL SYMBOL
Viet Nam is the “hero” country which is famous for many wars with many countries in the past to be
independent. Viet Nam is also an ancient and beautiful country with a lot of ancient places, beautiful scenes,
caves and deltas. Each country has its cultural symbol, the specialist of each location, each site and each
traditional costume. Japanese women are proud of their Kimono, Korean women are famous with Hanbok,
Indian women had left the special impression with their Sari. And Vietnamese women, from the past till now,
they always go abreast with the charming and skinny costume_ “Ao dai” . It becomes a cultural symbol of Viet
Nam. ”Ao dai” covers the body from your neck to or over your knees, reserved for both men and women. Collar
of high standing about 3-4 cm, lined with hardware cloth in the stand neck, beside round neck, boat neck…
Long sleeves to the wrist or back and include hand holding, arms splayed, medium, usually under a narrower
width. Body consisting of two front and long from the shoulders down, feet a few inches. It ties a chest (front)
and the back (rear). It ties our waist to hugging the soft curves of the body. Laps of dress are cut from the
shoulders to the knees. Set buttons diagonally from the neck to the armpit and on one side of the body. There
are also long been tailor always diagonal from the neck to the armpit without button press, and from armpit to
waist, zipper assembly to hug the body. Ties between the two coal-shirt front and back, upper body can be used
in button-click to install into my lap for asymmetric shirt and discreet.. Maybe it hasn’t had any written text
which proves that “Ao dai” officially belongs to national clothes of Vietnamese women. But, when people talk
about Viet Nam or Vietnamese women, they always imagine “Ao dai”. So it becomes the noun in English
because they can’t translate from the available words are “clothes” and “long”. In the past, “Ao dai” usually
came with flat palm hat with fringes, palm-leaf conical hat or ready-to-wear turban. Vietnamese women are
proud of it and they respect it as a national clothes, it can be called “the countryside long dress”.
“Ao dai” is a traditional costume of Vietnamese women. It is a kind of a long dress which is always
worn with long pants which is made from a smooth, brocade or silk material. “Ao dai” is usually worn on some
festivals, on New Year days, even at work, or schoolgirls can wear to school. So when you come to Viet Nam,
you can see most of Vietnamese women wearing “Ao dai” such as at the banks, companies, tourists or even at
government’s offices. Because it has become a popular symbol of Viet Nam, it also represents the slender
Vietnamese women. “Ao dai” had left the deep impression to people who has come to Viet Nam or knows
about Viet Nam because of its specialist and the ancient. Through ages, “Ao dai” had and is being become a
cultural symbol or a work of fine arts of Vietnamese women in particular and Vietnam in general. “Ao dai”
represents Kinh people(Viets) which is the crucial ethnic and occupies a large amount of the Vietnam’s
population. Until now, “Ao dai” has become a pride of a national costume, is the intangible cultural heritage
Vietnam- a form of cultural valuable space has been recognized by UNESCO in 2002. Not only like that,
“Aodai” had become popular and famous in 1970, at the international fair in Osaka (Japan), dress of
Vietnamese women had won the gold medal in the national costumes. International visitors were surprised and
ecstatic to see the long lap flirting like butterflies in the wind. It’s both discreet and shy, and it also can show the
beauties of charming, slender of Vietnamese women. “Aodai” has an important situation in Vietnamese
people’s heart, it is moral sense. It is to show the unity between the truth, the best, the beauty of Vietnamese
culture. Rich aesthetic life of the Vietnamese “Aodai” concentrated expression in different expression of the
beauty. Outside the cultural beauty of “Aodai”, it also has a moral meaning to Vietnamese people. The ancient
taught that: “Two laps(two ties) represents a four-side form. The cynical covers the chest between the shirt
outside symbolizes the image of a mother cudding close. Five buttons are set disproportionate located on years
fixed position, keep your shirt straight, discreet symbolizes the rules for human: “Human, polite, justice,
wisdom and credit”. When wearing a four-laps dress, people often tied the two front laps together for balance
which symbolizes faithful gratitude of a couple. Because of the wonderful diversity in the aesthetic life of
society, “Aodai” can be created the images of the beauty of the woman when using it.
Through the ages, “Aodai” has become more and more popular and we can see “the shadow” of “Aodai”
in everywhere such as: schoolyard with schoolgirls in a uniform, the staffs in the companies, in the shops, on
the plane… But no one knows the original dress was born ever since, the original shape of it. According to
thirteen kings of his dynasty Ton That Binh (Da Nang Publishing, in 1997) recorded that original dress is
formed by Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat. Thus, the dress was born in the 18th century. Original dress is primitive
but very discreet. In the past, for the former Vietnamese women, ethnic costume is a four-brown blazer with
black dress, bib white, in addition to is come with the natural or peach belt. Not only like that, according to the
carvings on the” Ngoc Lu” drum a few thousand years ago, it is shown that women wearing the two-lap dress.
In conclusion, “Aodai” is formed by Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat but it is finally renovated by the First Lady by
the Republic of Vietnam_ Mrs Tran Le Xuan, she created some new samples of the neck of “Aodai” are boat
neck, opening neck… and it is popular until now, it is carved around, not short like the original ones. It makes
the dress more various and plentiful.
Through each age, “Aodai” had been changed to be suitable and fashionable at that time. It is a big
different from the original one. In the 18th century, Peasant women typically wore a halter top underneath a
blouse or overcoat, that was paired with a skirt. Influenced by the fashions of China's imperial court, aristocrats
favored less revealing clothes. In 1744, Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat of Hue decreed that both men and women at
his court wear trousers and a gown with buttons down the front. Writer “Le Quy Don” described the
newfangled outfit as an “Aodai” (long garment). The members of the southern court were thus distinguished
from the courtiers of the Trinh Lord in Ha Noi, who wore a split-sided jacket and a long skirt. Till 19th century,
a traditional four-paneled gown (ao tu than in Vietnamese), evolved into the five-paneled (ao ngu than in
Vietnamese), it refers not only to the number of panels, but also to the five elements oriental cosmology. The
five-paneled dress has two flaps sewn together in the back, two flaps sewn together in the front, and a “babyflap” hidden underneath the main front flaps. The gown appeared to have two flaps with slits on both sides,
features preserved in the later “Aodai”. Compared with the modern “Aodai”, the front and back flaps are much
broader and the fit looser. It had a high collar and was buttoned as a modern “Aodai”. In the 20th century,
“Aodai” is popularly worn at school as a kind of uniform. The first modernized “Aodai” appeared at the Paris
fashion show in 1921, until 1950s, Saigon( a city of Vietnam) designer tightened the fit of “Aodai” to create the
version commonly seen today. For others people, they don’t care about the valuable and the development of
“Aodai”, but “Aodai” has a long period to renovated its design to satisfy the demand of fashionable. Time by
time, over decades, “Aodai” still has its impression to Vietnamese women and foreigners.
“Aodai” which we see today is renovated completely and totally different from the old design. Although
it is changed many times year by year, but it is still changed until now and maybe in the future because of the
development of Vietnam in particular or in the world in general. Most of the “Aodai” samples today are boatneck, opening-neck, round-neck and even origin-neck. In the other words, more and more designs of “Aodai”
are created to make it fashionable and modern, so it nearly lose the origin beauty of the Vietnamese traditional
costume. So almost people who is in middle-age like wearing the original designs, they think it will make them
look like the traditional woman and they can keep the cultural tradition in a long time, they don’t want to lose
that. And one of the most advantage of the original dress is keep your body slender, skinny and more beautiful
with a hard-neck. In conclusion, each sample has its specialist and its beauty because it represents the traditional
costume of Vietnam. It also creates the colorful and various samples of “Aodai”.
Through the diachronic view to the synchronic view, we see the Vietnamese costumes, from a simple
model, natural and beautiful as the ancient Vietnamese which continues to grow, in harmony with nature's harsh
environment, energetic cover of constant wars against foreign aggression. Vietnamese costume is one of the
closest to the people of Vietnam. The sticking with this spirit is what comes from the heart of love of country.
Apparel is an important material needs in people's lives. Pragmatic nature, it is a product; aesthetic perspective,
it is a work. First basic function of it is to protect people. In this regard, the Vietnamese national costume has
achieved high efficiency. “Aodai” is not only a traditional costume of Vietnamese people, but also has an
important meaning of creating the beautiful image of Vietnamese women, their living styles and their noble
character.
“Aodai” is a traditional costume, a cultural symbol of my country_ which is famous with bravery with
wars. It is not only represents the beauty of Vietnamese women, but also expresses the moral culture and the
Vietnamese women’s character. When I was wearing “Aodai”, I felt that I was wearing the pride of Vietnam
ethnic. I also felt that I was a symbolic of Vietnamese traditional culture. When I am wearing Ao dai, I have to
know that I have to try my best to study to help my country in the development and renovation. I also remind
me that I have act in the right way in my living, my working or my studying to be a good citizen of Viet Nam.
Although I move to another country, “Ao dai” is always my traditional costume which I like to wear on my
wedding day or some festivals in that country. Nowadays, many fashion clothes are designed to satisfy the
demand of human, I can’t forget the origin of mine_ “Ao dai”, but ”Ao dai” also has a deep impression in my
heart and it is always my first choice of my clothes. Not only of that, “Aodai” expresses the pure, stylish and
latent beauty of Vietnamese women in general. People taught that “ although you go and back from where, if
you are Vietnamese people, you always have to know what are our tradition and cultural”. It likes a reminder
for me.
The image of “Aodai” has let foreigners know more about Vietnam such as culture, tradition… Talking
about Vietnam is thinking about Vietnamese cultural symbol_ a slender long dress, “Aodai”. On the other side,
we have to refer to the merit of Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoat who formed the “Aodai” and it completely becomes a
cultural symbol of Vietnam and the beauty of Vietnamese women. Although “Aodai” had gone through the ages
for renovation and it is different from the original one, it also has its beauty which symbolizes the image of
Vietnamse women and their virtue that is the specialist of the traditional costume of Vietnam. For sure, it is the
pride of Vietnamese people about their costume and culture. In conclusion, “Aodai” is not only a symbol of
Vietnamese people, but also a work of great arts and makes foreigners surprise and ecstatic. I want through this
introduction about my country’s cultural symbol, everyone will know more about the special long dress of
Vietnamese women in particular and of Vietnam in general. This is one of my way to express my feeling of
“Aodai” and enhance the value of “Aodai”.