Ao Dai in modern times

I am a person born during the war, raised during the subsidy period in the North, and have never known Ao Dai. Then luck came when I moved to the South for work, seeing the Ao Dai fluttering in the schoolyard of my colleagues, making me see why I love Ao Dai so much. I taught school in the early 90s, when Ao Dai was being encouraged to be worn as a uniform, starting with teachers. I'm happy to be able to wear ao dai to class.

But at that time I was in a very confused mood, thinking about how to neatly lift the hem of my shirt when getting on a bicycle so that it wouldn't get caught on the wheel and others could still see the beauty and neatness of a teacher. Then, from the advice of teachers at the same school, everything was fine. Every day, when I go to class, I wear an Ao Dai that is both discreet and elegant, making me more excited during teaching sessions and feeling like the class goes by faster.

And at that time, I only had two sets of Ao Dai to change into when I went to work. Then when they got married, those two Ao Dai used in work uniforms were also used to make Wedding Dresses because at that time buying Ao Dai was a big problem. Purchasing an Ao Dai for teaching is mandatory, but for a wedding party, it is not a priority. So later, when I had better finances, I sewed a lot, especially on my wedding anniversary every year, I bought myself a beautiful Ao Dai, to remember the difficult early days of starting a business far from Home.

Nowadays, Ao Dai has been flying everywhere, from prosperous urban areas to rural villages and mountain towns. From schools to offices, Ao Dai is used as a uniform. Brides also choose Ao Dai during the Vu Qui Ceremony, the important day of their lives. Especially during Tet holidays, from young to old, everyone dresses up in Spring in colorful Ao Dai. It so beautiful ! How love! when looking at Ao Dai fluttering all over Vietnam.

Author: Pham Thi Mai