Now a cultural highlight of every Red Flamboyant Flower Festival, the annual Ao Dai Festival celebrates the beauty of Viet Nam’s traditional long dress, providing a platform for Hai Phong women to demonstrate their confidence, intellect and compassion in modern life.
Having gone through four editions, the event has steadily grown in scale and significance, reinforcing its distinctive identity while contributing to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values, and enhancing the image of Hai Phong as a friendly and hospitable port city.
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| Graceful Ao Dai dresses bring vibrancy to the festive space. (Photo: DAM THANH) |
The flowing silhouettes of Ao Dai amid the dynamic festival atmosphere serve as a striking artistic highlight, evoking national pride and inspiring visions of a vibrant, creative Hai Phong that remains rich in heritage.
The festival treated audiences to a culturally rich and artistic experience through three themed collections by the An An Ao Dai brand: Flow of Heritage, Colours of Heritage, Radiant Viet Nam, and Shining Hai Phong.
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| Artisans skilfully apply traditional embroidery and hand-painting techniques to adorn the Ao Dai. (Photo: DAM THANH) |
The designs featured meticulous embellishment with traditional embroidery and hand-painting techniques, vividly depicting images of national heroines as well as scenic landscapes of Viet Nam, Hai Phong City, and the diverse cultures of the country’s 54 ethnic groups, all to connect heritage across the nation.
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| Large crowds of locals and visitors gather to enjoy the vibrant Ao Dai Festival. (Photo: DAM THANH) |
Many of the designs were inspired by iconic imagery from Hai Phong, including the city’s Post Office, Opera House, Lan Ha Bay (in Cat Hai District), Tam Bac Lake, and the flamboyant red blossoms symbolic of the city. The festival also paid tribute to the culinary traditions of Hai Phong and neighbouring Hai Duong, incorporating their elements into the Ao Dai motifs.
As part of efforts to promote the cultural value of the Vietnamese Ao Dai to international friends and the wider public, the festival also introduced the official Ao Dai Festival Ambassadors of Hai Phong 2025: People’s Artist Lan Huong, Meritorious Artist Do Ky, World Tourism Runner-up Huong Ly, Hai Phong’s Elegant Man titleholder Bui Van Hoat, Miss Elegant Hai Phong Nguyen Thanh Truc, and Miss Ao Dai Photo 2024 Thanh Loan.
