Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Hanoi has been founded, marking an important milestone in preserving and promoting the beauty of Ao Dai (traditional long robe).

Dang Thi Bich Lien, former Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Honorary President of the Club, said that Vietnamese Ao Dai is no longer just an ordinary costume, but has become a precious cultural heritage left by the ancestors. Over hundreds of years of history, Ao Dai has been increasingly perfected, from the four-body dress of the Northern Delta to the noble five-flap dress of the Nguyen Dynasty royal court.

Ao Dai is now a symbol of Vietnamese women, like Japanese kimonos and Korean hanboks, proudly displayed in international beauty contests and fashion shows.

The Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club is under the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, which was established to honor, promote, and disseminate the cultural values of Vietnamese Ao Dai both domestically and internationally.

"The club is a common home for those who love and cherish traditional Ao Dai, helping to protect the heritage of our ancestors, preserve national cultural identity, and continue to promote the value of Vietnamese Ao Dai in contemporary life," said Lien.

Lien believed the Hanoi club would create its own marks and features, reflecting the identity of the capital's women in the club's activities.

Designer Nguyen Thi Huong, President of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Hanoi, said they are committed to joining hands to spread the passion for Ao Dai, empowering the younger generation to promote the Vietnamese Ao Dai heritage domestically and internationally and to make progress in completing the dossier submitted to UNESCO to honor Vietnam's national costume.

On June 23, more than 400 women dressed in traditional Ao Dai rode old Peugeot bikes and cyclos around Hoan Kiem Lake to promote the Ao Dai heritage.

Photos from the event:

Leaders of the club at the launching ceremony. Photo: Dinh Trung/The Hanoi Times

Singer Ha Myo performs at the launching ceremony. Photo: Dinh Trung/The Hanoi Times

The club was founded to promote the beauty of Vietnamese ao dai. Photo: Dinh Trung/The Hanoi Times

An ao dai design presented at the ceremony. Photo: Dinh Trung/The Hanoi Times

Club members ride bicycles in an Ao Dai procession around Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo: Nguyet Tho/The Hanoi Times