15:06, 12/27/2023

Vietnam is currently aiming to make the Ao Dai a national intangible cultural heritage and, further, to propose the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to recognize it as a world intangible cultural heritage. To do this, not only does it require a suitable roadmap but also the cooperation of many groups and individuals.

For Vietnamese women, regardless of age, the ao dai has become an indispensable outfit, a standard outfit to wear on special occasions and important holidays. Therefore, the ao dai has naturally entered the daily life of Vietnamese women. Through many historical ups and downs, there have been innovations and variations, but the beauty and identity of the ao dai have still been preserved.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Director of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund, President of the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club shared: "Vietnam's Ao Dai has a long history of development and has become one of the symbolic images of Vietnamese culture and people for international friends, a typical and important costume in all activities of life".

Ao Dai performance at the launching ceremony of the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Dak Lak province.

Currently, many relevant units have organized many activities to collect information to establish a dossier of intangible cultural heritage for Ao Dai. In Dak Lak, the preservation and promotion of Ao Dai heritage is implemented in many localities and units, with the active participation of all classes of people, most clearly demonstrated in cultural activities, traditional festivals, and events.

As a member of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club, under the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund, the Dak Lak Province Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club currently has about 100 members who have organized many practical activities. Most recently, the club organized ao dai performance at 10/3 Square with the participation of 1,000 women in the province. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Mai (Buon Ma Thuot City) expressed: “Vietnamese ao dai is discreet and graceful. I personally love it and often wear ao dai on a few days a week and on important occasions. Participating in the club's activities, I hope and wish more that I will contribute to spreading the beauty of ao dai to all four directions”.

In addition, the club also organized an art program, performing nearly 500 Ao Dai designed from many materials; showing the beauty of Ao Dai through many historical periods, through the culture of each region... The auction of Ao Dai in the program was enthusiastically responded by participants, further affirming and creating an impression of the humanistic and diverse beauty of Ao Dai.

Brocade patterns in the ao dai by designer Trung Beret, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Dak Lak province.

In addition to preserving and promoting the beauty of the traditional Ao Dai in general, the club also cares about preserving and honoring the cultural space of the Ao Dai, the space of the craft of making the Ao Dai and the raw materials, artisans... According to designer Trung Beret, Vice Chairman of the club, not only the Ao Dai costume but also the elements that make up the Ao Dai are also heritage. Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that Dak Lak and the Central Highlands have brocade products of ethnic minorities that are loved by consumers, the club aims to be one of the bridges, introducing and using ethnic brocade to design Ao Dai, spreading the beauty of Vietnam in general and the unique appeal of the Central Highlands in particular. These activities not only affirm the vitality of the Ao Dai in the community but also create conditions for people to preserve the traditional weaving profession and increase income, improving the quality of life.

We believe that the journey to make Ao Dai a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, and to propose UNESCO to recognize it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is not far away; each unit and individual in the community with practical and humane activities will be a long piece to bring the journey to the finish line as expected.

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