First museum celebrating Vietnamese Ao Dai opens
The first-ever museum on Vietnam’s traditional dress, Ao Dai, opened to visitors in Ho Chi Minh City on January 22.
The museum, invested by designer Si Hoang, displays 36 sets of clothing, of which 18 sets show changes in the dress style over time from the 17th to the 19th century.
The remaining sets are those worn by famous Vietnamese women, including the first female General Nguyen Thi Dinh, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, actress Tra Giang and diplomat Ton Nu Thi Ninh.
Hoang is a well-known Ao Dai designer who has introduced the traditional Vietnamese costume to 20 foreign countries from 1995-2013.
His desire to set up the museum started five years ago when he visited a Kimono museum in Japan.
Hoang’s museum aims to popularise the image of the traditional Vietnamese dress to both domestic and foreign visitors, helping them understand more about the country’s culture.