Illustrative image (Source: VNA) “This year, both womenand men are wearing ao dai in our annual events,” researcherNguyen Duc Binh told the Viet Nam News.
A few days ago, Binh leda group of 50 people, mostly members of Dinh Lang Viet (Vietnamese CommunalHouse) organisation, to gather at the So Village Communal House, nearly 20kmwest of Hanoi’s centre, to make a video clip on communal housing values.
“Ambassador Pham SanhChau, the Foreign Minister’s Assistant, initiated the idea and joined ourclip,” Binh said. The video is part of a broader campaign to keep traditionaldress and values alive.
In HCM City, Dai Viet CoPhong, a group specialising in ancient Vietnamese culture, is offering an aodai tailoring service.
Some enterprises in thecity have contracted the group to make ao dai for staffuniforms.
Recently, ao dai havebeen popular among male singers as well.
“I received lots ofencouragement from the Republic of Korea's audience when I wore a traditional long dressfor a man,” singer Han Thai Tu told Thanh Nien (Young People)newspaper after he returned from his recent trip to the Republic of Korea.
Singer Duc Tuan, whoalways wears simple decorated long dress, confirmed: “This Tet, I willwear ao dai to perform at music shows.”
Ao dai designer Sy Hoang guessed this lunar newyear, more men will wear ao dai when visiting Nguyen HueFlower Street.
“I always encourage myfriends in Sai Gon Businessmen’s Club to wear ao dai,” he said.
Vi Kien Thanh, head ofFine Arts, Photography and Exhibition Department of culture ministry, calledtraditional ao dai an elegant costume.
“The only obstacle for mento wear the costume is their awareness,” he said, “Many people think that aodai for men associates with khan xep [a kind of headgear like turban]. If modern men wear such costume, it symbolises a return tobackward feudalism. They also worry that it doesn’t suit active life. Yet Ithink if we just wear on holiday, it will be fine. It’s comfortable andelegant.”
In recent years, therehave been many modern ao dai designs for women, like the oneswith shorter length, shorter sleeves, without sleeves or in varied materials.Women even wear ao dai with jeans instead of loose silk pants.
People tend to be morecautious with ao dai for men.
Researcher Nguyen Dongholds that modern designs of ao dai for men was notcomfortable to wear, as they were tight, not easy for movement, and sometimeslooked like Chinese and Indian costumes.
“AncientVietnamese ao dai consists of five parts, while Chinese andIndian consist of six parts,” he said, “Five parts in the traditional longdress symbolise the wearer’s parents, his/her spouse’ parents and him/herself.”
“Standard ancient aodai is comfortable; silk is cool in summer and warm in winter,” Dongsaid.
In the meantime, manydesigners opt to change traditional designs to suit modern life.
Nguyen Thu Ha, whospecialises in costume for historical films, published her guidelines to choosematerials and tailor ao dai for men.
According to her, thereare three layers of an ao dai costume for a man. The innermostis a shirt, which is made of soft cloth, designed with two pockets for moneyand mobile phone.
The next costume is aninner ao dai in white soft cloth. The outer ao dai isdesigned following the wearer’s interest in colour and textile.
“Men can wear the setwith European pants and shoes,” Ha said, “Noted writer Vu Trong Phung(1912-1939) used to wear that way.”
Concerning materials, Hasaid beside traditional cloth like velvet, cotton, satin and embroidered silk,today’s ao dai can be tailored from modern industrial cloths.
“Ao dai formen should be made from thick, hard cloth like the one for tailoring Europeanvest and pants,” she said.
Designer Thuan Viet aimsfor younger men with cotton, linen materials to cut shorter ao dai.
Male model Ngoc Tinh,who has recently appeared in public in ao dai , said: “I wouldlike to launch a movement of wearing ao dai among both womenand men during traditional holiday.”
“Just imagine, on thefirst day of lunar new year, all family members wearing ao dai reunitingto wish others good luck and pose for photos. It’s so meaningful! Whether theywear modern or original traditional long dress, it’s a beauty in Vietnameseculture.”-VNA
VNA
