Images of graceful girls in national charming long dress have been a symbol of Vietnam. However, looking back the historic development of national dress, Vietnam not only has ao dai but also ao yem – the indispensable dress of ancient girls. In the old days, ao yem was called yem. It is an age-old dress [...]

Silk is the most precious finery of the orient. Some say silk was invented so that women could go naked in clothes. A more whimsical tale even credits a fourteen – year old Chinese empress with this invention. For centuries, the wearing of silk was the exclusive right of the Chinese nobility, so the know-how [...]

A lasting impression for any visitor to Vietnam is the beauty of the women dressed in their Ao dais. Girls dressed in white pick their way through muddy streets going home from school or sail by in a graceful chatter on their bikes. Secretaries in delicate pastels greet you at an office door and older [...]

Sweep through Hue and the classic grace of women clad in ao dai will surely to make a lasting impression on you. But behind the beauty is a rich history, brimming with cultural significance. A researcher of Hue culture, Phan Thuan An, said that variations in Hue ao dai are related to the ups and [...]

Hat-making village Phu Cam (also Phuoc Vinh) lies on the southern bank of the An Cuu River in the centre of the former imperial capital of Hue. It’s a village famous for its traditional way of making conical hats for hundreds of years. Phu Cam-made hats look graceful, soft and thin as silk. Hue landscapes [...]