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Áo Dài: The History of Vietnam's National Dress

Best known today for its fitted silhouette and long, flowing side slits, Vietnam's ao dai took nearly two centuries to arrive at its current form.

What ao dai is

Ao dai is Vietnam's best-known traditional garment: a fitted, long tunic worn over loose trousers. 'Ao' means shirt and 'dai' means long, and the tunic's long side slits are its most distinctive feature.

Ao ngu than, its direct ancestor

Popular around the 18th century, ao ngu than was an earlier tunic sewn from five panels of fabric, and it's considered the direct predecessor of today's ao dai. It had a much looser fit than the modern version and was typically worn layered.

The 1930s redesign

In the 1930s, designers including the artist Nguyen Cat Tuong incorporated Western tailoring techniques to nip in the waist and refine the silhouette, giving rise to the fitted shape recognized as ao dai today.

The slits and silhouette

Deep slits cut along both sides of the waist, dividing the front and back panels, are the defining design element — the two panels flow naturally over the trousers, creating the garment's graceful movement.

When ao dai is worn

Beyond holidays like Tet and events such as weddings, ao dai has also been adopted as a school uniform in many schools and as a uniform for flight attendants and hotel staff, giving it a wider presence in daily life than most countries' traditional dress.

Color and meaning

Traditionally, unmarried women tended to wear white or pastel shades while married women wore deeper, more vivid colors, and the meanings and preferences attached to specific colors and patterns also varied somewhat by region.

Where tradition met modern tailoring

Ao dai didn't start out with the slender silhouette it's known for today. It began as the looser-fitting ao ngu than, and only after Western tailoring techniques were introduced in the 1930s did it take on the waist-fitted shape recognized now — a clear example of a traditional garment evolving alongside changing aesthetic sensibilities.

A dress woven into everyday life

While many countries' traditional dress is reserved for special occasions, ao dai has been adopted as a school uniform and workwear, embedding it deeply in everyday life. That everyday presence is a large part of why ao dai is regarded as more than formalwear — it functions as a genuine symbol of Vietnamese identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do men wear ao dai too?

In the past, both men and women wore ao dai, and men's versions are still worn today at holidays and traditional ceremonies, though the version worn widely in everyday life now is primarily the women's style.

Are the trousers worn under ao dai a special design?

They're typically loose, soft, ankle-length trousers worn underneath. Visible through the slits in the tunic, they're an important part of completing the garment's overall silhouette.