Hanoi (VNA) - Themꦇed “Hue’s Ao Dai 𝓀– Tales from the River,” the Hue Ao Dai Festival 2023 opened in Hue city of the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on August 12 evening, drawing a large number of local and foreign visitors.

An integral part of the traditional Hue Festival since 2000, this event provides an opportunity to honour, preserve, and promote Ao Dai, the traditional long gown of Vietnam. Considered an unique and mesmerizing show, it brings together renowned designers from across the country, showcasing special Ao Dai collections linked to tales of the Huong (Perfume) river – the iconic river of the ancient capital. This year’s festival comprises three chapters telling stories of the Huong River: the enchanting natural scenery, the romantic moonlit waters, and the tranquil urban streets. The gentle and graceful aura, the nostalgic folk songs, and the grandeur of Hue – combine to make it the city of a thousand poems. The narrative of the river serves as inspiration for designers to create Ao Dai with patterns, colours, flowers, plants, and traces of time that reflect the river’s legacy. The Hue Ao Dai Festival, the first of its kind in Vietnam, officially made its debut at the Hue Festival in 2000. Over the past 22 years, it has become a mission to preserve the traditional beauty of the nation. “Ao Dai Hue” has become a special tourism product that leaves a good impression on domestic and foreign visitors, contributing to preserving and promoting the nation’s traditional cultural values. Through the dress, the traditional culture of the ancient capital city is promoted to domestic and international tourists. Inspired by this festival, many other localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hoi An, Quang Ninh, and Lam Dong have organized similar events, making it a prominent celebration that honours, preserves, and promotes the traditional Ao Dai attire. Over the past hundreds of years, Ao Dai has been an endless source of inspiration for movies, music and fine art, and part of the soul of Vietnamese people at home and abroad. The word “Ao Dai” has been included in the Oxford dictionary that explains Ao Dai is a Vietnamese woman’s long-sleeved tunic with ankle-length panels at front and back, worn over trousers. In the mind of Vietnamese people and the eyes of international friends, Ao Dai is a symbol of Vietnamese culture. The dress is worn on various occasions, from family gatherings to diplomatic events, art performances, festivals, especially the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, fashion shows and beauty contests, both at home and abroad. Unlike traditional dresses of many other countries worldwide, it is not complicated to put on the Ao Dai. While it is simple to wear, the dress highlights the beauty of women. Ao Dai, therefore, over the years has become a popular style of clothing for Vietnamese women. The traditional dress has played an important role in promoting tourism in Vietnam. Tourists to the country, especially women, often take Ao Dai home as a special souvenir. Over the past years, many designers have breathed a new life into Ao Dai with new designs. Famous fashion designers such as Minh Hanh, Vo Viet Chung and Si Hoang have contributed to promoting Ao Dai in the regional and international fashion industry./.