Áo dài

File:Aodai.PNG

• Tà sau: back flap
• Nút bấm thân áo: hooks used as fasteners and holes
• Ống tay: sleeve
• Đường bên: inside seam
• Nút móc kết thúc: main hook and hole
• Tà trước: front flap
• Khuy cổ: collar button
• Cổ áo: collar
• Đường may: seam
• Kích (eo): waist

File:Lord Nguyen Phuc Thuan.jpg) which was commonly worn by all social castes of Vietnam before the 19th century]]

For centuries, peasant women typically wore a halter top ({{lang|vi|yếm}}) underneath a blouse or overcoat, alongside a skirt (váy).{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=89}} Aristocrats, on the other hand, favored a cross-collar robe called áo giao lĩnh.{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Traditional Clothes: Ao Dai – VietnamOnline |url=https://www.vietnamonline.com/culture/ao-dai.html |access-date=2021-06-30 |website=www.vietnamonline.com}}{{cite web |last=Vu |first=Thuy |year=2014 |title=Đi tìm ngàn năm áo mũ |trans-title=Searching for a thousand years of attire and headwear. |url=http://tuoitre.vn/tin/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/phong-su-ky-su/20141007/di-tim-ngan-nam-ao-mu/654967.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617124135/http://tuoitre.vn/tin/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/phong-su-ky-su/20141007/di-tim-ngan-nam-ao-mu/654967.html |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |df=mdy-all |newspaper=Tuoi Tre}}{{cite web | author = T.Van | title = Ancient costumes of Vietnamese people | newspaper = Vietnamnet | year = 2013 | url = http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/vietnam-in-photos/78314/ancient-costumes-of-vietnam.html | access-date = June 16, 2015 | archive-date = June 17, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150617082002/http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/vietnam-in-photos/78314/ancient-costumes-of-vietnam.html | url-status = dead }} When the Ming dynasty occupied Đại Việt during the Fourth Era of Northern Domination in 1407, it forced the women to wear Chinese-style pants. The following Lê dynasty also criticized women for violating Neo-Confucian dress norms, but only enforced the dress code haphazardly, so skirts and halter tops remained the norm. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Vietnam was divided into northern and southern realms, with the Nguyễn lords ruling the south.{{sfn|Leshkowich|2005|p=61}} To distinguish the southern people from the northerners, in 1744, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát of Huế decreed that both men and women at his court wear trousers and a gown with buttons down the front.{{efn|A court historian described the costume in Huế as follows: "Outside court, men and women wear gowns with straight collars and short sleeves. The sleeves are large or small depending on the wearer. There are seams on both sides running down from the sleeve, so the gown is not open anywhere. Men may wear a round collar and a short sleeve for more convenience." ("Thường phục thì đàn ông, đàn bà dùng áo cổ đứng ngắn tay, cửa ống tay rộng hoặc hẹp tùy tiện. Áo thì hai bên nách trở xuống phải khâu kín liền, không được xẻ mở. Duy đàn ông không muốn mặc áo cổ tròn ống tay hẹp cho tiện khi làm việc thì được phép…") (from Đại Nam Thực Lục [Records of Đại Nam])}} The members of the southern court were thus distinguished from the courtiers of the Trịnh Lords in Hanoi, who wore áo giao lĩnh with long skirts.

According to Lê Quý Đôn's record in the book "Phủ Biên Tạp Lục" (recording most of the important information about the economy and society of Đàng Trong for nearly 200 years), the áo dài (or rather, the forerunner of the áo dài) created by Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát based on Chinese Ming Dynasty costumes, by how to learn the method of making costumes in the book "Sāncái Túhuì" as the standard.{{Cite web |date=2020-10-08 |title=Trang phục (thường phục) ở Đàng Trong thời Võ Vương Nguyễn Phúc Khoát – những nét đặc trưng. |trans-title=Everyday attire in Đàng Trong during the reign of Võ Vương Nguyễn Phúc Khoát – distinctive features. |url=https://vovinhquang.wordpress.com/2020/10/09/trang-phuc-thuong-phuc-o-dang-trong-thoi-vo-vuong-nguyen-phuc-khoat-nhung-net-dac-trung/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Bình Nguyên - Võ Vinh Quang |language=vi}}

The áo ngũ thân (five-piece shirt) had two flaps sewn together in the back, two flaps sewn together in the front, and a "baby flap" hidden underneath the main front flap. The gown appeared to have two-flaps with slits on both sides, features preserved in the later áo dài. Compared to a modern áo dài, the front and back flaps were much broader and the fit looser and much shorter. It had a high collar and was buttoned in the same fashion as a modern áo dài. Women could wear the shirt with the top few buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of their yếm underneath.

File:Trần Nhân Tông TLĐSXSCĐ.png|Trần dynasty robes as depicted in a section of a 14th-century scroll.

File:Người Giao Chỉ - Tam tài đồ hội.png|A Vietnamese man on the left is wearing áo viên lĩnh (the predecessor of áo dài) in Sancai Tuhui, early 17th century during the Lê dynasty.

File:Giảng học đồ.png|"Giảng học đồ" (Teaching), 18th century, Hanoi museum of National History. Scholars and students wear áo giao lĩnh (cross-collar robe) - unlike the buttoned áo dài.

File:Ao ngu than on postcard dated 1904.JPG|Two women wear áo ngũ thân, the predecessor of the áo dài worn in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries depicted on the postcard.

File:Trần Anh Tông TLĐSXSĐ.jpg|Trần Anh Tông wearing a "áo viên lĩnh" and outside a "áo giao lĩnh" in the calligraphy painting Trúc Lâm đại sĩ xuất sơn đồ (The painting of Trúc Lâm the Great Master),14th century.

File:Nón lá & Áo dài.png|A woman wearing a nón lá with áo dài.

File:Vietnamese girl wearing ao dai 2.jpg|Woman wears an áo dài for Tết.

File:Women engage in the talk of the times about progress (Commentary on the Đổi Mới of the 1920's and 1930's).jpg]]

File:Jeunes filles de Lemur (2).jpg

Huế's Đồng Khánh Girls' High School, which opened in 1917, was widely praised for the áo dài uniform worn by its students.{{Cite magazine |last=Kauffner |first=Peter |date=September–October 2010 |title=Áo dài |magazine=Asia Insights Destination Asia |url=http://www.visions-of-indochina.com/latestnews/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ao-dai-article.pdf |access-date=February 12, 2023 |via=Visions of Indochina.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522194437/http://www.visions-of-indochina.com/latestnews/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ao-dai-article.pdf |archive-date=May 22, 2013 }} The first modernized áo dài appeared at a Paris fashion show in 1921. In 1930, Hanoi artist Cát Tường, also known as Le Mur, designed a shirt inspired by the áo ngũ thân and by Paris fashions. It reached to the floor and fit the curves of the body by using darts and a nipped-in waist.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=91}} When fabric became inexpensive, the rationale for multiple layers and thick flaps disappeared. Modern textile manufacture allows for wider panels, eliminating the need to sew narrow panels together. The áo dài Le Mur, or "trendy" ao dai, created a sensation when model Nguyễn Thị Hậu wore it for a feature published by the newspaper Today in January 1935.{{cite web|title=A Fashion Revolution |newspaper=Ninh Thuận P&T |url=http://www.ninhthuanpt.com.vn/english/Fashion1/index.htm |access-date=August 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623224038/http://www.ninhthuanpt.com.vn/English/Fashion1/index.htm |archive-date=June 23, 2008 }}. For a picture of the áo dài Le Mur, see [http://bichvygaugi.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!1CDCF9B5594AB224!1049/ Ao Dai — The Soul of Vietnam]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. The style was promoted by the artists of Tự Lực văn đoàn ("Self-Reliant Literary Group") as a national costume for the modern era. The painter Lê Phô introduced several popular styles of ao dai beginning in 1934. Such Westernized garments temporarily disappeared during World War II (1939–45).

In the 1950s, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) designers tightened the fit of the áo dài to create the version commonly seen today. Trần Kim of Thiết Lập Tailors and Dũng of Dũng Tailors created a shirt with raglan sleeves and a diagonal seam that runs from the collar to the underarm. Madame Nhu, first lady of South Vietnam, popularized a boat neck version beginning in 1958. The áo dài was most popular from 1960 to 1975.{{cite news |last=Elmore |first=Mick |title=Ao Dai Enjoys A Renaissance Among Women : In Vietnam, A Return to Femininity |work=International Herald Tribune |date=September 17, 1997 |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/17/news/17iht-saodai.t.html}} A brightly colored áo dài hippy was introduced in 1968.Bich Vy-Gau Gi, [http://bichvygaugi.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!1CDCF9B5594AB224!1049/ Ao Dai — The Soul of Vietnam]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved on July 2, 2008. The áo dài mini, a version designed for practical use and convenience, had slits that extended above the waist and panels that reached only to the knee.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=91}}

The áo dài has always been more common in the South than in the North. The communists, who gained power in the North in 1954 and in the South in 1975, had conflicted feelings about the áo dài. They praised it as a national costume and one was worn to the Paris Peace Conference (1969–73) by Viet Cong negotiator Nguyễn Thị Bình. Yet Westernized versions of the shirt and those associated with "decadent" Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) of the 1960s and early 1970s were condemned.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=92}} Economic crisis, famine, and war with Cambodia combined to make the 1980s a fashion low point.{{cite web | last = Valverde | first = Caroline Kieu | title = The History and Revival of the Vietnamese Ao Dai | newspaper = NHA magazine | year = 2006 | url = http://www.nhamagazine.com/back_issue/issue_0506/ac_p1.shtml | access-date = August 2, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080704053408/http://www.nhamagazine.com/back_issue/issue_0506/ac_p1.shtml | archive-date = July 4, 2008 | df = mdy-all }} The áo dài was rarely worn except at weddings and other formal occasions, with the older, looser-fitting style preferred.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=92}} Overseas Vietnamese, meanwhile, kept tradition alive with "Miss Ao Dai" pageants (Hoa Hậu Áo Dài), the most notable one held annually in Long Beach, California.

The áo dài experienced a revival beginning in late 1980s, when state enterprise and schools began adopting the áo dài as a uniform again. In 1989, 16,000 Vietnamese attended a Miss Ao Dai Beauty Contest held in Ho Chi Minh City.{{Cite web | last1 = Vu | first1 = Lan | title = Ao Dai Viet Nam | newspaper = Viettouch | year = 2002 | url = http://www.viettouch.com/aodai/aodai-changes.htm | access-date=July 3, 2008}} When the Miss International Pageant in Tokyo gave its "Best National Costume" award to an áo dài-clad Trương Quỳnh Mai in 1995, Thời Trang Trẻ (New Fashion Magazine) claimed that Vietnam's "national soul" was "once again honored".{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=79}} An "áo dài craze" followed that lasted for several years and led to wider use of the áo dài as a school uniform.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=97}}

File:Áo dài bé trai thiết kế Nhiên Kids.jpg

No longer deemed politically controversial, áo dài fashion design is supported by the Vietnamese government. It is often called áo dài Việt Nam to link it to patriotic feelings. Designer Le Si Hoang is a celebrity in Vietnam and his shop in Ho Chi Minh City is the place to visit for those who admire the áo dài. In Hanoi, tourists get fitted with áo dài on Luong Van Can Street.{{cite news|title=Traditional ao dai grace foreign bodies |url=http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-12/18/Stories/33.htm |work=VNS |date=December 20, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041224075607/http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-12/18/Stories/33.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2004 |access-date=August 24, 2016}} The elegant city of Huế in the central region is known for its áo dài and nón lá ({{lit|traditional leaf hat}}).

The áo dài is now a standard for weddings, for celebrating Tết and for other formal occasions. It is the required uniform for female teachers (mostly from high school to below) and female students in common high schools in the South; there is no requirement for color or pattern for teachers while students use plain white or with some small patterns like flowers for use as school uniforms. Companies often require their female staff to wear uniforms that include the áo dài, so flight attendants, receptionists, bank female staff, restaurant staff, and hotel workers in Vietnam may be seen wearing it.

The most popular style of áo dài fits tightly around the wearer's upper shirt, emphasizing her bust and curves. Although the shirt covers the entire body, it is thought to be provocative, especially when made of thin fabric. "The áo dài covers everything, but hides nothing", according to one saying.{{cite web |url = http://www.overlandclub.jp/en/info/vn_aodai.html |title = Vietnamese AoDai |work=Overlandclub |access-date = July 2, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080319082307/http://www.overlandclub.jp/en/info/vn_aodai.html |archive-date = March 19, 2008}} The shirt must be individually fitted and usually requires several weeks for a tailor to complete. Áo dài costs about $200 in the United States and about $40 in Vietnam.{{cite web |url=http://www.nhamagazine.com/012008/feature/aodai.shtml |title=Ao Dai Couture |work=Nha magazine. |access-date=August 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408004749/http://www.nhamagazine.com/012008/feature/aodai.shtml |archive-date=April 8, 2008 }}

"Symbolically, the áo dài invokes nostalgia and timelessness associated with a gendered image of the homeland for which many Vietnamese people throughout the diaspora yearn," wrote Nhi T. Lieu, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.{{sfnp|Lieu|2000|p=127–151}} The difficulties of working while wearing áo dài link the garment to frailty and innocence, she wrote.{{sfnp|Lieu|2000|p=127–151}} Vietnamese writers who favor the use of the áo dài as a school uniform cite the inconvenience of wearing it as an advantage, a way of teaching students feminine behavior such as modesty, caution, and a refined manner.{{sfnp|Niessen|Leshkowich|Jones|2003|p=97}}

The áo dài is featured in an array of Asian-themed or related movies. In Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Robin Williams's character is wowed by áo dài-clad women when he first arrives in Ho Chi Minh City. The 1992 films Indochine and The Lover inspired several international fashion houses to design áo dài collections,{{cite web|url=http://articles.getacoder.com/Ao_Dai_-_Vietnamese_Plus_Size_Fashion_Statement_808529x1200042917.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216234340/http://articles.getacoder.com/Ao_Dai_-_Vietnamese_Plus_Size_Fashion_Statement_808529x1200042917.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 16, 2009 |title=Ao Dai – Vietnamese Plus Size Fashion Statement |access-date=July 14, 2008 }} including Prada's SS08 collection and a Georgio Armani collection. In the Vietnamese film The White Silk Dress (2007), an áo dài is the sole legacy that the mother of a poverty-stricken family has to pass on to her daughters.{{cite web |url = http://vietq.wordpress.com/2006/10/16/vietnam-send-ao-lua-ha-dong-to-pusan-film-festl/ |title= Vietnam send Ao Lua Ha Dong to Pusan Film Festival |work=VietNamNet Bridge |year=2006 |access-date= July 13, 2008}} The Hanoi City Complex, a 65-story building now under construction, will have an áo dài-inspired design.{{cite news |author=Tuấn Cường |title="Nóc nhà" Hà Nội sẽ cao 65 tầng |trans-title=The "rooftop" of Hanoi will be 65 stories high. |url=http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=192066&ChannelID=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328173624/http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/tianyon/Index.aspx?ArticleID=192066&ChannelID=3 |archive-date=March 28, 2007 |access-date=April 26, 2009 |newspaper=Tuoi Tre |language=vi}} Vietnamese designers created áo dài for the contestants in the Miss Universe beauty contest, which was held July 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.{{Cite web

|title = Miss Universe contestants try on ao dai

|newspaper = Vietnam.net Bridge

|year = 2008

|url = http://english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2008/06/789353/

|access-date = August 2, 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080701025340/http://www.english.vietnamnet.vn/lifestyle/2008/06/789353/

|archive-date = July 1, 2008

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy

}}

The most prominent annual Ao Dai Festival outside of Vietnam is held each year in San Jose, California, a city that is home to a large Vietnamese American community. This event features an international array of designer áo dài under the direction of festival founder, Jenny Do.

In recent years, a shorter, more modern version of the áo dài, known as the áo dài cách tân, is often worn by the younger generation. This modern áo dài has a shorter front and back flap, hitting just below the knees.

Áo dài is the traditional attire of Vietnam, considered a symbol of the graceful and elegant beauty of Vietnamese women.{{Cite book |last=Hùng |first=Việt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YyfVXwAACAAJ |title=Áo dài Việt Nam: truyền thống, đời thường, cách điệu |date=2010 |publisher=Mỹ Thụât |language=vi}} However, besides the praises, {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} it is met with criticism from some.{{Cite web |last=PHÓNG |first=BÁO SÀI GÒN GIẢI |date=2016-10-18 |title=Áo dài, đừng để cách tân trở thành "thảm họa" |url=https://www.sggp.org.vn/share146046.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=BÁO SÀI GÒN GIẢI PHÓNG |language=vi}}{{Cite web |title=Áo dài cách tân: Sáng tạo nhưng phải có chừng mực |url=https://nbtv.vn/news/19/5492/ao-dai-cach-tan-sang-tao-nhung-phai-co-chung-muc |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=nbtv.vn |language=vi}} One of the most common criticisms of {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} is excessive modernisation.{{Cite web |date=2014-08-13 |title=Những mẫu áo dài cách tân quá đà của sao Việt khiến dư luận giận dữ |url=https://laodong.vn/archived/nhung-mau-ao-dai-cach-tan-qua-da-cua-sao-viet-khien-du-luan-gian-du-714824.ldo |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=laodong.vn |language=vi}}{{Cite web |last=ONLINE |first=TUOI TRE |date=2023-04-23 |title='Cách tân kiểu gì cũng được nhưng khi đó đừng gọi là áo dài' |url=https://tuoitre.vn/cach-tan-kieu-gi-cung-duoc-nhung-khi-do-dung-goi-la-ao-dai-20230422221442866.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=TUOI TRE ONLINE |language=vi}} In recent years, the modernised type has become very popular, with a variety of styles, materials, and colors. However, some people believe that excessive modernisation has eroded the "traditional beauty" of {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}}.{{Cite web |date=2017-02-11 |title=Giữ gìn nét đẹp truyền thống của áo dài |url=https://nhandan.vn/post-285154.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Nhân Dân điện tử |language=vi}}{{Cite web |date=2021-03-07 |title=Áo dài cách tân - hòa mình với cuộc sống hiện đại |url=https://baophapluat.vn/post-384253.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam điện tử |language=vi}} They believe that {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} should keep its traditional style, material, and color, in order to enhance the gentle and elegant beauty of Vietnamese women.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-24 |title=Tôn vinh vẻ đẹp của áo dài Việt Nam tại Hà Nam |url=https://baohanam.com.vn/van-hoa/ton-vinh-ve-dep-cua-ao-dai-viet-nam-tai-ha-nam-105559.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Hà Nam điện tử |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-02-13 |title=Zach Bryan Store |url=https://zachbryanllc.com/ |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=zachbryanllc.com |language=en}} Another criticism of {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} is the wearing of {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} in a way that is seen as offensive.{{Cite web |last=thanhnien.vn |title=Hoa hậu Thái Lan mặc áo dài lộ nội y ren phản cảm |url=https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/hoa-hau-thai-lan-mac-ao-dai-lo-noi-y-ren-phan-cam-185230425113406014.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=thanhnien.vn |language=vi}}{{Cite web |last=congly.vn |date=2023-03-24 |title=Áo dài xuyên thấu: Cách tân, hợp thời, hay phản cảm? |url=https://congly.vn/ao-dai-xuyen-thau-cach-tan-hop-thoi-hay-phan-cam-370407.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=congly.vn |language=vi}}{{Cite web |last=ONLINE |first=TUOI TRE |date=2023-06-08 |title=Diễn áo dài, áo yếm phản cảm: Đề xuất phạt 85 triệu đồng |url=https://tuoitre.vn/dien-ao-dai-ao-yem-phan-cam-de-xuat-phat-85-trieu-dong-20230608144841765.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=TUOI TRE ONLINE |language=vi}} In recent years, there have been many cases of celebrities being criticized for wearing "offensive" {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}}.{{Cite web |last=NLD.COM.VN |title=Siêu mẫu Hà Anh lại bị chỉ trích sau sự cố mặc áo dài phản cảm |url=https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/sieu-mau-ha-anh-lai-bi-chi-trich-sau-su-co-mac-ao-dai-phan-cam-20220823105834252.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Người Lao Động Online |language=vi}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-25 |title=Hoa hậu Ngọc Châu mặc áo dài xuyên thấu, bị chê dung tục |url=https://tienphong.vn/post-1520507.tpo |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo điện tử Tiền Phong |language=vi}}{{Cite web |last=NLD.COM.VN |title=Hà Anh mặc áo dài phản cảm, BTC Hoa hậu bị phạt 70 triệu đồng |url=https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/ha-anh-mac-ao-dai-phan-cam-btc-hoa-hau-hoan-vu-viet-nam-bi-phat-2022082218133189.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Người Lao Động Online |language=vi}} They were accused of using {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} to show off their bodies, causing offense to the viewer.{{Cite web |last=VCCorp.vn |date=2016-03-15 |title=Áo dài vốn đã quyến rũ, đừng cố cách điệu để khoe thân |url=https://afamily.vn/ao-dai-von-da-quyen-ru-dung-co-cach-dieu-de-khoe-than-20160315095657575.chn |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=afamily.vn |language=vi}}{{Cite web |date=2023-06-04 |title=Angela Phương Trinh và loạt sao từng bị chỉ trích dùng áo yếm khoe thân |url=https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/angela-phuong-trinh-va-loat-sao-tung-bi-chi-trich-dung-ao-yem-khoe-than-1200339.ldo |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=laodong.vn |language=vi}} In addition, {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} is also criticized as being incompatible with modern life.{{Cite web |last=ONLINE |first=TUOI TRE |date=2020-09-13 |title=Truyền thống bền vững nhưng không biết cách bảo tồn nó sẽ rơi về phía mong manh |url=https://tuoitre.vn/truyen-thong-ben-vung-nhung-khong-biet-cach-bao-ton-no-se-roi-ve-phia-mong-manh-20200913091110262.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=TUOI TRE ONLINE |language=vi}}{{Cite web |last=Trí |first=Dân |date=2013-11-14 |title=Áo dài- từ "biểu tượng văn hóa" đến… "thảm họa văn hóa" (II) |url=https://dantri.com.vn/van-hoa/ao-dai-tu-bieu-tuong-van-hoa-den-tham-hoa-van-hoa-ii-1384817612.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo điện tử Dân Trí |language=vi}} {{lang|vi|Áo dài|italic=no}} is a traditional costume designed to be worn on formal occasions and festivals. However, in modern life, many people believe that {{lang|vi|áo dài|italic=no}} is not suitable for everyday activities, such as going to school, going to work, going out, etc.{{Cite web |last=danviet.vn |title=Mặc áo dài hàng ngày: Nên hay không? |url=https://danviet.vn/mac-ao-dai-hang-ngay-nen-hay-khong-7777663148.htm |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=danviet.vn |date=February 25, 2016 |language=vi}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-05 |title=Áo dài Việt trong đời sống hàng ngày |url=https://baophapluat.vn/post-468401.html |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam điện tử |language=vi}}

{{Further information|Shalwar kameez|Kurta|Cheongsam}}

File:Cotton-kurta-pant-and-dupatta-set-made-in-khari-print.jpg

Áo dài is similar to the shalwar kameez and kurta of countries following Indo-Islamic culture such as India, Pakistan as they are both forms of clothing consisting of a long split tunic worn over trousers. The main difference is that the áo dài usually has a row of buttons that cross from the neck down to the hips while the rest of the garments have a row of buttons in the front.{{cite web |last=Bach |first=Trinh |date=2020 |title=Origin of Vietnamese Ao Dai |url=https://vjol.info.vn/index.php/ncpt-hue/article/view/54470/45091 |access-date=2023-07-23}}

The áo dài is also similar in appearance to the cheongsam, both consisting of a long robe with side splits on both sides of the robe, with one of the main differences typically being the height of the side split.{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Traditional Clothes: Ao Dai – VietnamOnline |url=https://www.vietnamonline.com/culture/ao-dai.html |access-date=2021-06-30 |website=www.vietnamonline.com}}

File:Cinq sœurs à Hanoï, 1950s.jpg|Five Hanoi sisters wearing Áo dài, 1950s

File:Áo dài & khăn đóng2.jpg|Saigon old man wearing traditional Áo dài and Khăn vấn, Tết 1963

File:Student ice.jpg|A female student wearing Áo dài

File:Hai thiếu nữ mặc áo dài.jpg|Two woman wearing pink Áo dài

File:Aodai in Purple.JPG|The female students wearing purple Áo dài

File:KOCIS Korea Hanbok-AoDai FashionShow 03 (9766157012).jpg|A woman wearing cyan Áo dài

File:Áo Dài 2014.jpg|A woman wearing violet Áo dài and Nón lá

File:Lady in white ao dai, Hanoi (18538703922).jpg|A young girl wearing white Áo dài and holding Nón lá

File:Áo dài (31387189530).jpg|A woman wearing red Áo dài

File:Áo dài (33645199761).jpg|Two women wearing blue Áo dài

File:Áo dài - 49541606632.jpg|A girl wearing white Áo dài

File:PHA 9815.jpg|A woman wearing yellow Áo dài

{{Portal|Vietnam|Society|Fashion}}

• Vietnamese clothing
• Cheongsam
• Kurti top
• Shalwar kameez

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Leshkowich|first=Ann Marie|year=2005|title=Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion}}
• {{Cite book

| surname = Li | given = Tana

| title = Nguyễn Cochichina: Southern Vietnam in the Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

| publisher = Southeast Asia Program Publications | year = 1998 | isbn = 9780877277224

}}

• {{Cite journal | last = Lieu | first = Nhi T. | title = Remembering 'the Nation' through pageantry: femininity and the politics of Vietnamese womanhood in the 'Hoa Hau Ao Dai' contest | journal = Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies | volume = 21 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 127–151 | publisher = University of Nebraska Press | jstor = 3347038 | doi = 10.2307/3347038 | date = 2000 }}
• {{cite book | editor1-first=S. A. |editor1-last=Niessen |editor2-first=Ann Marie |editor2-last=Leshkowich |editor3-first=Carla |editor3-last=Jones |title=Re-Orienting Fashion: The Globalization of Asian Dress |publisher=Berg |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-85973-539-8 |page=89}}

{{refend}}

• {{cite book | author = Trần Quang Đức |title=Ngàn Năm Áo Mũ. Lịch sử trang phục Việt Nam 1009–1945 |trans-title= A Thousand Years of Caps and Robes. A history of Vietnamese costumes 1009–1945 |publisher=Nhã Nam |year=2013 |isbn= |oclc=862888254 }}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130322182508/http://wrile.com/long-dress-ao-dai-vietnam History of the Vietnamese Long Dress]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110622101508/http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/helpinglink/StudentWeb/webproject/html/fashion.htm The Evolution of the Ao Dai Through Many Eras], Gia Long Alumni Association of Seattle, 2000
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7WATu_klE Vietnam: Mini-Skirts & Ao-Dais]. A video that shows what the women of Saigon wore in 1968

{{Folk costume}}

{{Nguyễn dynasty topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ao Dai}}

Category:Tops (clothing)

Category:History of Asian clothing

Category:Folk costumes

Category:Vietnamese clothing