POPULAR SPOT - The Áo Dài Museum attracts 2,000 visitors on weekends. Photo courtesy of the museum.

The Áo Dài Museum in HCM City will offer a series of cultural activities to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.

Fashion shows and exhibitions featuring áo dài (traditional long dress) will be organised on International Women Day, March 8.

Talks by political, cultural and artistic stalwarts will be featured in April and May to celebrate International Museum Day on May 18.

The Áo Dài Museum, owned by veteran fashion designer Sĩ Hoàng of HCM City, opened in 2014 to share the history of the traditional long dress with foreign visitors and future generations and increase their awareness of traditional costume.

It attracted more than 39,000 visitors in 2022 and 60,000 last year.

In January, the museum attracted 2,000 visitors on weekends.

The museum displays 500 áo dài designs dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and their subsequent evolution.

It displays áo dài owned by theatre icons such as People’s Artists Kim Cương and Bạch Tuyết, considered gurus of cải lương (reformed opera).

Others include garments owned by national heroine Nguyễn Thị Định, the first woman major general in the Việt Nam People's Army, and former deputy president Nguyễn Thị Bình.

After ten years, the museum has organized many áo dài fashion shows and photo and painting exhibitions capturing Vietnamese culture and lifestyles.

Visitors can try making their own áo dài using paper, and souvenirs such as dolls in áo dài are available for sale.

“Our activities aim to introduce Vietnamese culture and lifestyle and promote the images of Vietnamese women through the áo dài,” said the museum’s director Huỳnh Ngọc Vân.

The museum opens daily at 8:30am and closes at 5:30pm at 206/19/30 Long Thuận Street, District 9, Thủ Đức City.

NATIONAL DRESS - Áo dài (Vietnamese traditional long dress) owned by outstanding women in politics, culture and arts are on display at the Áo Dài Museum in Long Thuận Street, Thủ Đức City. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Pioneer

Veteran fashion designer Hoàng opened the Áo Dài Museum after several years working to make his dream come true.

Graduating from HCM City Fine Arts College, Hoàng designed his first áo dài in 1989 when the country’s first beauty contest, Miss Áo Dài, was held in HCM City.

He painted flowers on áo dài which were worn by the competition’s winners. His designs impressed judges and audiences. The trend of painting on áo dài was born.

In 2002, he opened Điểm Một Thời, a tea shop offering fashion shows and Vietnamese tea served in traditional style in HCM City’s Nguyễn Huệt Street. The luxury shop quickly became an essential part of life in HCM City for many residents.

Điểm Một Thời served Queen Sylvia of Sweden and her husband King Carl Gustaf XVI during their tour to Việt Nam in 2004. They revealed their musical side when they played the parts of "cup clickers" during a performance of traditional Vietnamese music at the shop. They also watched beautiful girls in áo dài at a fashion show.

Hoàng is also working as a stage costume designer. His creations were used in large-scale plays, including two produced by the Việt Nam Chèo Theatre and the Hà Nội Drama Theatre, to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Hà Nội City. — VNS