Development history of Vietnamese Ao Dai

The ao dai has evolved over many years and has become a feature of the Vietnamese fashion industry, and has been a political and cultural identity since it began to appear under the Nguyen Dynasty.

Today, ao dai has become a symbol of Vietnamese tradition and although not officially made a national costume, it has become popular in this country and around the world.

Learn about Ao Dai: Before the Nguyen Dynasty

In fact, no one knows for sure where the ao dai begins to form, but there is a historical context we can rely on to conclude. Some claimed that this outfit first appeared around 38 - 42 AD, and was worn by Hai Ba Trung in the resistance against the Han Dynasty to gain independence for Vietnam.

Nguyen Dynasty: King Nguyen Phuc Khoat

Most people agree that Vietnamese ao dai originates from China, but experts claim that by 1744 the ao dai has begun to put its mark on Vietnamese society . At this time, King Nguyen Phuc Khoat was crowned and ruled the southern land. The north is governed by Trinh lord in Hanoi, the people here wear interdependent clothes, costumes with similarities with Han people.

Maybe this is the image of the first ao dai.(Source: elle.vn).

In order to distinguish between South and North, King Nguyen Phuc Khoat asked all his assistants to wear long pants inside a silk shirt. This dress combines Han and Champa costumes. Maybe this is the image of the first ao dai.

Nineteenth century: The five-body coat

The 19th century was a great development of this dress, now known as the five-body dress. But what difference does it make with ao dai today?

The main clothes worn in the 1800s had 5 devils. This design consists of 2 later ties, 2 previous ones and one hidden under the previous one. This is also the first dress to have a flap cut at the waist, one of the special features in modern dresses.

Unlike the later designs, the body armor is less hugging and also shorter than the ao dai now.

20th century: Western influence

In the 1930s, French colonialists of Vietnam and Western culture began invading the indigenous fashion trends. The most dramatic improvement of the ao dai appears when a Hanoi woman named Cat Tuong (or Le Mur) brings a lot of changes to this outfit, in which many ideas still remain. nowadays.

After improvement, Vietnamese Ao Dai becomes more sexy, delicate and attractive.(Source: Life Magazine).

She has reduced the size of the ao dai to tighten the body of the Vietnamese woman, pushing the shoulder, extending the dress to the ground and bringing many new colors. In other words, she made it more sensual, subtle and attractive.

After four years of popularity, the painter Le Pho's "le mur" has removed all Western influences and replaced with details from the four-piece shirt. From this time until the 1950s, Vietnamese Ao dai style became extremely famous in the country's tradition.

Ao dai entered the school itself . again

In the late 50s, the US replaced the French colonialists in Vietnam, and this was the time when the ao dai came to the school again. In 1958, Tran Le Xuan, wife of the presidential political advisor (also a brother) made a breakthrough when wearing a dress and wearing gloves with a V-neck and short arms. Although many people praised the sophistication in her dress, many criticized that the dress lacked aesthetic. It was also the time when the ao dai was dropped. In fact, the modern design is so disparaged that the government prohibits this costume from the capitalists.

Around the same time, the dress began to set foot in the South, and the Saigon designer Tran Kim and Dung improved the shirt again by adding a grandmother's sleeve. This is the highlight with the cross stitch running from the arm up to the collar. Many women like this detail because it helps them to move and be more comfortable.

Dresses continue to change under different forms.

In short, the ao dai has been preserved since the late 70s and early 80s when the ao dai became more tight, with high collar and flared trousers until today.

Three interesting facts about ao dai

Color is the symbol

Usually, fabric color is important because it shows the status of a person in society. Young women often like to dress fresh and fresh colors. When she started to grow up, they turned chalk, to show that she was still unmarried. After getting married, she has the right to dress deeper colors. There are specific colors for special occasions, such as blue and violet.

Even so, modern Vietnamese women are not too restricted to these rules. The ao dai continues to change under different forms, believing how it should be worn exactly.

Silky like silk

Originally, the dress must be sewn in silk to ensure lightness and body fit, as well as the ability to dry out when absorbing water.

Not just for ladies

Long dresses are also for men if you don't know. Although today they only wear on extremely important occasions like weddings, but we can still see somewhere, especially older generations.