On weekends, Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi is crowded with groups of young Vietnamese people who come to visit and take photos with ancient Vietnamese costumes.
Many international tourists are surprised and excited to learn that traditional Vietnamese costumes include more than just the Ao Dai, with other items such as the Ao Tac (wide-sleeve five-body shirt), the Nhat Binh costume (square-collared garb), and the Ao Giao Linh (cross-collared robe).
Visitors to the Thang Long Imperial Citadel can try on ancient Vietnamese costumes at clothing rental shops such as Van Thien Y and Viet Phu Hoang Thanh.
According to Nguyen Hai Dang, manager of Viet Phuc Hoang Thanh rental shop, many customers during the recent Lunar New Year Festival preferred to wear ancient Vietnamese costumes instead of regular Ao Dai, and this even became a trend on social networks.
This shows that although young people are open to approaching new things, they still look back towards the old, learning about the country’s culture and history.
Therefore, when creating online content, ancient costume brands not only post beautiful images but also introduce viewers to knowledge about the names, materials, meanings of patterns, and historical context of each ancient outfit.
 |
| On weekends, Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi is crowded with groups of young Vietnamese people who come to visit and take photos with ancient Vietnamese costumes. (Photo: Viet Phuc Hoang Thanh) |
This year, Viet Phuc Hoang Thanh plans to coordinate with a number of travel companies to launch tours inviting foreign tourists to try on ancient Vietnamese costumes during their visits to tourist attractions, with the ancient costumes further highlighting Vietnamese culture.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Huyen Le, manager of Van Thien Y rental shop, revealed that her shop has worked with craftsmen from traditional silk villages such as Nha Xa (Ha Nam Province) and Van Phuc (Hanoi) to tailor a product line of silk ancient costumes.
Established by a group of young people who share a passion for traditional cultural, Van Thien Y was honoured to participate in the exhibition ‘Hanh Trinh Vang Son’ (The Golden Journey), which was among the series of events held within the framework of the Vietnamese Days Abroad 2023 programme.
Under the programme, Van Thien Y introduced traditional Vietnamese costumes to the people of three countries on three continents: South Africa, France, and Japan, and left deep impressions on international friends.
The trend of taking photos in ancient Vietnamese costumes for graduation ceremonies, weddings, or check-ins at scenic spots has become popular among youngsters over the past few years.
Not only occurring in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, some other localities famous for heritage tourism such as Ninh Binh, Hue, and Hoi An have also witnessed the blooming of tailoring shops and costume rental shops which have received much interest and response from young people.
Ancient Vietnamese costumes have also featured in movies and music videos as well as at community events such as the Hanoi Ao Dai Festival 2023, Hue Festival 2023, Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023, and Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival.
When it comes to researching and revitalising ancient Vietnamese costumes, it is worth to mention the pioneering role of the Dai Viet Co Phong (Ancient Great Viet) group.
Starting from an online forum launched in 2014, the group brings together youths who share a common passion for ancient Vietnamese culture and aspirations for accurately reviving the country’s time-honoured cultural values.
In 2016, passionate young members of Dai Viet Co Phong started the project ‘Hoa Van Dai Viet’ (Patterns of Great Viet) to create a database of typical Vietnamese patterns dating back from the Ly to the Nguyen Dynasties.
To date, about 250 patterns have been shared for free for public use under the project, making it a reputable and abundant database for reference of traditional costumes and jewellery.
Some other notable research groups on ancient costume such as Dong Phong and Great Vietnam focus on tracing back the embroidery, weaving, and dyeing techniques used in making ancient costumes.
Meanwhile, Y Van Hien, founded by young man Nguyen Duc Loc, coordinated with artisans from craft villages to recreate many different ancient costumes, shoes, fans, hats, and accessories used in royal ceremonies, spiritual ceremonies, or daily activities.
 |
The coronation of the Queen Mother under the later Le Dynasty (1437-1471) was reproduced by members of the Vietnam Centre group (Source: VNA) |
With strengths in image production and event organisation, the Vietnam Centre group kicked start the project ‘Det Nen Trieu Dai ‘(Weaving a Realm), which included many diverse activities such as restaging the coronation of the Queen Mother under the later Le Dynasty (1437-1471), releasing photo books, hosting talk shows about Vietnamese ancient costumes, and holding exhibitions on traditional practices of hair braiding and teeth dyeing.
It is estimated that there are currently about 30 brands operating in the field of revitalising Vietnamese ancient costumes. Whether newly born or veteran, most of these groups are run by young people under the age of 40 with a common goal of researching and reviving traditional costumes and royal and folk rituals; holding consultation on traditional culture; and providing traditional cultural products and services to domestic and foreign markets.
