Vietnamese Traditional Clothing

A glance at Vietnamese clothing

Vietnam has always been praised for the spirits against aggressive war by foreigners. However, the nation is also the diversified culture cradle, one of which is the traditional custom beauty.

 In feudal Vietnam, clothing was

Ao ba ba

 one of the most important marks of social status with strict dress codes. The traditional clothing varied from region to region and partly reflected the lifestyle of ancient people.

As far as you may know, there are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, each of which has unique and specific styles of clothing. Unlike the colorful dressing of ethnic people on the plateau, the traditional costumes of plainsman tend to be very simple and modest with different dressing styles in Northern and Southern Vietnam. 

The main traditional materials come from natural fiber that appropriate for a tropical climate such as hemp, silk or cotton. The diversity and abundance of Vietnamese ethnic clothing cannot be completely dealt with in this article so we will only introduce the traditional clothing of plainsman.

In Northern Vietnam, the peasants prefer an upper garment and baggy cotton trousers that rolled up above the knees to keep from getting wet from the water and mud from the rice fields. Hence, they had a limited choice of similarly plain and simple clothes for every day use as well as being limited in the colors they were allowed to use.  Therefore, men wear brown clothing with a piece of cloth wrapped around the head and their footwear consists of a pair of plain sandals. Whereas, women were in light brown-colored short shirts with long black skirts, their headgear consists of a black turban with a peak at the front. For a period, commoners were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white exception of special occasions such as festivals. For formal ceremonies, men would have two additional items, a long gown with slits on both side and a turban, usually in black or brown made of cotton or silk.

Peasants across the country also gradually came to wear silk pajama-like costumes, known as ao canh in the North and ao ba ba in the South.The ao ba ba simply consists of a pair of silk pants and a long-sleeved, button-down silk shirt. The shirt will be somewhat long and split at the sides of the waist, forming two flaps with two typically two pockets. That garment's simplicity and versatility has contributed to its popularity, as it can be worn while laboring or lounging by an overwhelming amount of the population, whether in rural or urban areas.

Ao tu than

Ao tu than or "4-part dress" is one example of an ancient dress widely worn by commoner womenfrom as early as the 12th century on to the early 20th century, along with the ao yem bodice. As Vietnam expanded Southward and slightly different cultures began to emerge between the regions, ao tu than gradually became associated specifically with Northern women. It was developed through the introduction of the Chinese Hanfu clothing and considered one of the oldest enduring Vietnamese cultural relics. Looking the picture, you will see that unlike most modern colorful  ao tu than, ancient Vietnamese preferred more muted colors.

The most popular and widely-recognized Vietnamese national costume is the ao dai, which is worn nowadays mostly by women on special occasions such as weddings and funerals. In fact, there is a similarity between ao dai and the Chinese Qipao which consisting of a long gown with a slit on both sides, worn over silk pants. It is elegant in style and comfortable to wear, and likely derived in the18th century. Nowadays, white ao dai commonly can be seen with high school girls in Vietnam or some female office workers like receptionists, secretaries, tour guides…

For a very long time, the traditional Vietnamese styles are now gradually changed along with social development. Some traditional clothes have been lost, substituted with more modern interpretations, while business shirts and trousers have replaced traditional long sleeved shirts and wide trousers. Yet, traditional costumes still exist and efforts are increasingly being made to restore traditional festivals and entertainment which incorporate traditional costumes.

Ao Yem, the indispensable dress of ancient girls

Looking back into the historic development of national dress, Vietnam not only has “Ao Dai” but also “Ao Yem” – the indispensable dress of ancient girls.

 

Images of graceful girls in national charming long dress have been a symbol of Vietnam. However, looking back the historic development of national dress, Vietnam not only has “Ao Dai” but also “Ao Yem” – the indispensable dress of ancient girls.

“Ao Yem” appeared in Vietnamese life in a very old day, yet, not until Ly dynasty was it basically shaped. During those days, “Ao Yem” was called “Yem”. A very simple garment consisting of a square piece of cloth with one corner cut away to fit under the woman’s throat. This scrap of fabric is secured across the chest and stomach within strings. Traditionally, this halter-top was worn beneath a shirt, the flaps of which were often left unbuttoned to reveal “the ao yem”. Urban women favoured white, pink or red ones, while those in the suburb preferredbrown or beige, suited for their rustic environment.

Through the stream of history, “Ao Yem” was changing incessantly with improving design. However the revolutions of “Ao Yem” only happended at the beginning of the last century when western trousers and skirts entered Vietnam. In 17^th century, “Ao Yem” did not have any big change of model. Entering 20^th century, “Ao Yem” was used widespread with plentiful designs and models.

There is one kind of “Ao Yem”, which was often worn by ancient ladies, being called “Yem deo bua”. Its name derived from the fact that it has a small pocket of musk beside, which was an advantageous weapon of ancient ladies. Furthermore, “Ao Yem” created many original love stories. In the old days, when a girl dated with her boyfriend, she put a piece of betel inside her “Ao Yem”; it was called “khau trau dai yem”. Perhaps there is no kind of betel more supernatural than this one.

It is an age-old dress which is maintained until today. “Ao Yem” was used by all levels of society from working class to upper one. It was also used widespread in traditional festivals, therefore becoming the national traditional clothes of ancient ladies. While the wearers may age, the ao yem retains its timeless charm.

Today, the “Ao yem” is appreciated for its cultural and artistic values. On festive occasions, women throughout Vietnam are embracing the ao yem and other traditional clothes with renewed enthusiasm.

Ao Dai, the Vietnamese long dress

he beauty of women dressed in “Ao Dai”always leaves a deep impression on foreign visitors to Vietnam

The beauty of women dressed in “Ao Dai”always leaves a deep impression on foreign visitors to Vietnam. Girl students dressed in white long robes take to streets on the way to schools or back home, or gracefully sail on their bikes along streets. Female secretaries in delicate pastels greet you at an office door and older ladies in deep shades of purple, green or blue cut a striking pose at a restaurant dinner. The “Ao Dai” appears to flatter every figure.

Early versions of the “Ao Dai”date back to 1744 when Lord Vu Vuong of the Nguyen Dynasty decreed both men and women should wear an ensemble of trousers and a gown that buttoned down the front. However, not until 1930 did “Ao Dai”appear partly similar to its look today. Now, Men wore it less, generally only on ceremonial occasions such as weddings or funerals. During the 1950s two tailors in Saigon started producing “Ao Dai”with raglan sleeves. This creates a diagonal seam running from the collar to the underarm and this style is still preferred today

“Ao Dai”is made individually to fit each customer's shape to create the most graceful look. Its body-hugging top flows over wide trousers that brush the floor. The pants should reach the soles of the feet and flow along the floor. Splits in the gown extend well above waist height and make it comfortable and easy to move in.

Comfortability is always taken into account for fashions and beauty. Tailoring must ensure the wearer's freedom of movements. Despite it is a long robe, “Ao Dai”must be cool to wear. Synthetic or silk fabrics are preferred as they do not crush and are quick drying, making the “Ao Dai”a practical uniform for daily wear. 

The color is indicative of the wearer's age and status. Young girls wear pure white, fully-lined outfits symbolizing their purity. Older but unmarried girls move into soft pastel shades. Only married women wear “Ao Dai”in strong, rich colors, usually over white or black pants. However, “Ao Dai”is rarely seen in places where manual work is practiced. The nineties saw a real resurgence of ao dai. It has become standard and common attire for girl students as well as female staff at offices and hotels. Traditionally, “Ao Dai”has become the most preferred dress on formal occasions.

Today, “Ao Dai”has been a bit modified. Its length is cut shorter usually just below the knee. Variations in the neck, between boat and mandarin style, are common. And even adventurous alterations such as a low scooped neckline, puffed sleeves or off the shoulder designs are appearing as ladies experiment with fashion. Color patterns are no longer rigidly controlled and accesses to new fabrics have generated some dazzling results. However, most visitors to Vietnam have highly appreciated local tailors' skills when making ao dai. It is hard to think of a more elegant, demure and charming outfit, that suits Vietnamese women of different ages, than ao dai.

Guoc Moc (Sole sisters) for the Vietnamese

Guoc Moc is footwear that imbued with symbolic meaning for Vietnamese people... 

Due to Vietnam's hot and humid climate and wading days in wet rice paddies or fishing, Vietnamese people usually went barefoot. Formerly, on cold days, men and women from rural areas would don clogs made from bamboo roots when attending festivals or visiting friends. At home they wrote wooden clogs with vertical straps to protect the toes.

Sole sisters with long history…

Ancient Chinese books record that in the third century, the leader of a Vietnamese resistance movement, Ba Trieu wore a pair of ivory clogs. However, up until the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400AD), most Vietnamese people went barefoot and clogs were not unknown. Another popular legend tells of a pair of stone clogs passed down for generations by a family in Cao Bang, high in Vietnam's northern mountains.

In south-central Vietnam, people generally made their own clogs. They favoured thick soles with slightly turned-up tips. The traps, which attached through a hole in the front and a pair of holes on the sides, were braided from soft cloth. Because the sole was curved at the front, the knot of the front strap did not rub on the ground. The soles of women's clogs were shaped like hour-glasses, while men's clogs -known as "sampan clogs" - had straight soles. Made of white wood, Phu Yen clogs were left unpainted, while those from the central city of Hue were often painted in black and brown with a pale coloured triangle on the side of the sole. Only well-to-do men wore painted clogs. Some areas called clogs don, hence the saying "a foot with a shoe, a foot with a don" to indicate rich people who put on airs.

Up until the 1940s, young pupils at public schools in the southern province of Ben Tre began wearing clogs. Before the August Revolution in 1945, clogs produced in Hue were called "capital clogs" or guoc kinh. These clogs had soles made from coconut shells or light wood, painted white and gold with embroidered straps.

In the 1950s and 1960s, wooden clogs produced in Dong Do village in the Thanh Tri district of Hanoi and Ke Giay in Ha Tay province were taken to 12 Hang Ga street or Bach Mai street in Hanoi to be painted and sold. Poet To Huu revealed that clogs were considered extremely romantic by young girls of the time:

                                                     “Clogs long unheard 
                                                      On the tree-lined streets 
                                                      And spring comes, apples fall, 
                                                      I remember your zither sounds” 

By the 1970s, plastic clogs rivaled wooden clogs in popularity. Considered stylish and comfortable, clogs could offer other, more unusual, benefits. Travelers would sometimes bore holes in the wooden soles to hide gold or jewels.

From Ba Trieu's ivory clogs to clogs made of bamboo, wood and plastic, this humble footwear has covered a lot of ground on Vietnam. While countless Vietnamese poets have waxed lyrical about the conical hat and traditional ao dai tunic, clogs are often the subject of riddles: “Two females in colored dresses. Each carrying five males on their backs. On the way, talk and chat. And left alone at home: fed up! What is this?”.Naturally, the riddles refer to a pair of clogs:

“Two parallel and loving boats 
With dragon bows and phoenix sterns
Double rows of nails 
I carry five boy-lovers per boat 
And ten per pair. 
But, let you be reproved, you ingrate! 
Profiting from me, and forgetting me 
What am I?”

Taking home a" non la" - that is, to take a piece of Vietnam

“Non la” (translated as “conical hat”) is not only a normal hat, but also one of Vietnam’s symbols of charm.

Conical hats

Every country has its own national headgear. The United States has the baseball cap, Britain is famous for the London bobby's helmet. Greece is associated with the fisherman's hat, while the beret is the symbol of France. The Israelis use the yarmulke and we usually see the Saudi Arabians in their white headdresses. Indian Sikhs wrap their heads in elaborate turbans while Russians warm their craniums with fur hats, which are of good use even at fifty Degree Celsius below zero. In Vietnam, the national chapeau is the non, or conical peasant hat. Along with the graceful silk ao dai, the non has become a sort of informal Vietnamese national symbol that is recognized worldwide.

How inseparable it is? The hat has a conical shape, made out of straw and is kept on the head by a silk cloth chin trap that keeps the hat from slipping out of the wearer's head. This traditional conical hat is particularly suitable for farmers in such a tropical country asVietnam where fierce sunshine and hard rains take place as often as girls’ sulking. It can be used as a basin or a bowl to contain water when they are thirsty, as a fan when they are hot, as a basket of a bunch of vegetables. Romantically, young couples can veil their kisses behind this traditional conical hat during their dates.

The legend behind the hat is that, once upon a time, there was a very tall woman who often wore a magical kind of hat made from four round leaves knitted together with bamboo. Wherever this woman appeared, clouds passed and the weather became favorable. After teaching people to plant vegetables and trees for their living, she secretly passed and ascended to the heavens. Yet, she was honored as the Goddess of Human and ever since, they have made hats in the shape of hers to protect themselves from the sun and the rain.

Is making a conical hat difficult? If you look at a hat, it seems easily to make. Yet, it is not! "Conical hat making requires painstaking precision", said 83 year-old Le Thi Viet, the oldest master of Chuong village where thousands of conical hats are produced every day. It is therefore considered the home of the conical hat in today’s Vietnam.

Sewing conical hats

To make a proper hat, not only the maker is talent but also their experiences are plentiful. After being separated into very thin strings during the dry season, bamboo cataphyll then must be quickly submerged in water to preclude tearing and breaking. The palm, after being cleaned by sand, will be torn and turned from dark green to white after being sun-seasoned. The stronger the sun, the whiter the palms will become. Finally, to make them whiter and to preserve the color, they will be exposed sulfur, separated and ironed. Sewing and decorating must be sophisticated, too. You have to sew small and even stitches, which means you need time and patience.

Only watching craftsmen sewing conical hats inside brown tile-roofed houses in Chuong village can give you the real understanding. Looking at an old woman with crooked back, wrinkled face and shriveled hands, it’s hard to imagine that she can hold her hands steady enough to do the needlework, but she manages it skillfully. “My mother taught me to sew non la when I was six years old. Now I’m 78. I could sew hats with my eyes closed,” Tam smiled.

A long history. According to historian Le Van Lan, Vietnamese girls and women have worn the conical hat for a long time. The ancestor of today’s conical hat was carved on Ngoc Lu kettledrum and Ao Thinh bronze jar 2,500 to 3000 years ago. “Though no one knows exactly when the hat was born, for a long time the conical hat has been considered the symbol of Vietnamese farmers and Vietnamese people, in general,” says Lan.

The original lands of conical hat

If you ask me where you can find the best conical hat, I would say that due to its popularity, each region in Vietnam has a well-known conical hat - making village. The conical hat of the Tay group has a distinctively red color, whereas that in Thanh Hoa differs from others with a 20-hem frame. Hue's is thin and elegant, contrary to the thick ones from Binh Dinh.

Chuong village produces 7,000 to 8,000 conical hats per day and about three million hats per year for both domestic use and export. “Our regular clients from the south, the centre or other northern provinces phone in orders so we can deliver immediately,” said Tuy, a 40-year old craftsman. “My latest contract is with a handicrafts export company, in which I proposed to export up to 5,000 conical hats to Japan.”

It seems that every family in Chuong village is making conical hats. According to statistics, 80 percent of the village’s population earn their living by conical hat production. The average income is around VND 700,000 to VND 1 million a month; the income is higher in summer than in winter as it is harder to sew the hats in winter. In the village, you only pay VND 3,500- VND 10,000 for a hat but in Hanoi, it might cost VND 30,000 to VND100, 000 depending on the quality.

This small village which maintained its reputation for over three centuries belongs to Ha Tay Province and is only 40 kilometers on the west from Hanoi. So don’t hesitate to come and see a part of our cultural values, a symbol of our country!