text: ao dai the áo dài is a vietnamese national costume , now most commonly worn by women . in its current form , it is a tight - fitting silk tunic worn over pants . the word is pronounced [ ] in the north and [ ] in the south . classifies the item as a piece of clothing on the upper part of the body . means " long " . the word " ao dai " was originally applied to the outfit worn at the court of the nguyễn lords at huế in the 18th century . this outfit evolved into the áo ngũ thân , a five - paneled aristocratic gown worn in the 19th and early 20th centuries . inspired by paris fashions , nguyễn cát tường and other artists associated with hanoi university redesigned the ngũ thân as a modern dress in the 1920s and 1930s . the updated look was promoted by the artists and magazines of tự lực ( self - reliant literary group ) as a national costume for the modern era . in the 1950s , saigon designers tightened the fit to produce the version worn by vietnamese women today . the dress was extremely popular in south vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s . on tết and other occasions , vietnamese men may wear an áo ( brocade robe ) , a version of the ao dai made of thicker fabric . academic commentary on the ao dai emphasizes the way the dress ties feminine beauty to vietnamese nationalism , especially in the form of " miss ao dai " pageants , popular both among overseas vietnamese and in vietnam itself . " ao dai " is one of the few vietnamese words that appear in english - language dictionaries . parts of dress : back flap thân áo : hooks used as fasteners and holes tay : sleeve : inside seam : main hook and hole : front flap : collar button áo : collar may : seam ( eo ) : waist the ao dai can be worn with a lá ( conical leaf hat ) , a style associated with huế . on weddings and other formal occasions , a circular headgear called a is worn . history before the nguyen dynasty for centuries , peasant women typically wore a halter top ( ) underneath a blouse or overcoat , alongside a skirt ( ) . aristocrats , on the other hand , favored a cross - collared robe called áo , which bore resemblance to the chinese , korean , and the japanese kimono . in 1744 , lord nguyễn phúc of huế decreed that both men and women at his court wear trousers and a gown with buttons down the front . writer lê đôn described the newfangled outfit as an áo dài ( long garment ) . the members of the southern court were thus distinguished from the courtiers of the trịnh lords in hanoi , who wore áo with long skirts . chinese style clothing was forced on vietnamese people by the nguyễn dynasty . trousers have been adopted by white h . the trousers replaced the traditional skirts of the females of the white hmong . the tunics and trouser clothing of the han chinese on the ming tradition was worn by the vietnamese . the ao dai was created when tucks which were close fitting and compact were added in the 1920s to this chinese style . trousers and tunics on the chinese pattern in 1774 were ordered by the vo vuong emperor to replace the sarong type vietnamese clothing . the chinese clothing in the form of trousers and tunic were mandated by the vietnamese nguyen government . it was up to the 1920s in vietnam 's north area in isolated hamlets wear skirts were worn . the chinese ming dynasty , tang dynasty , and han dynasty clothing was ordered to be adopted by vietnamese military and bureaucrats by the nguyen lord nguyễn phúc ( nguyen the tong ) . chinese clothing started having an impact on vietnamese dress in the ly dynasty . the current ao dai was introduced b the nguyen lords . 19th century the áo thân , a traditional four - paneled gown , evolved into the five - paneled áo ngũ thân in the early 19th century . is sino - vietnamese for " five . " it refers not only to the number of panels , but also to the five elements in oriental cosmology . the áo ngũ thân had a loose fit and sometimes had wide sleeves . could display their prosperity by putting on multiple layers of fabric , which at that time was costly . despite vietnam 's tropical climate , northern aristocrats were known to wear three to five layers . the áo ngũ thân had two flaps sewn together in the back , two flaps sewn together in the front , and a " baby flap " hidden underneath the main front flap . the gown appeared to have two - flaps with slits on both sides , features preserved in the later ao dai . compared to a modern ao dai , the front and back flaps were much broader and the fit looser . it had a high collar and was buttoned in the same fashion as a modern ao dai . women could wear the dress with the top few buttons undone , revealing a glimpse of their underneath . vietnamese garments throughout the centuries : 20th century modernization of style huế 's đồng khánh girl 's high school , which opened in 1917 , was widely praised for the ao dai uniform worn by its students . the first modernized ao dai appeared at a paris fashion show in 1921 . in 1930 , hanoi artist cát tường , also known as le mur , designed a dress inspired by the áo ngũ thân and by paris fashions . it reached to the floor and fit the curves of the body by using darts and a nipped - in waist . when fabric became inexpensive , the rationale for multiple layers and thick flaps disappeared . modern manufacture allows for wider panels , eliminating the need to sew narrow panels together . the áo dài le mur , or " trendy " ao dai , created a sensation when model nguyễn thị hậu wore it for a feature published by the newspaper today in january 1935 . the style was promoted by the artists of tự lực ( " self - reliant literary group " ) as a national costume for the modern era . the painter lê introduced several popular styles of ao dai beginning in 1934 . such westernized garments temporarily disappeared during world war ii ( 1939 – 45 ) . in the 1950s , saigon designers tightened the fit of the ao dai to create the version commonly seen today . trần kim of thiết tailors and dũng of dũng tailors created a dress with sleeves and a diagonal seam that runs from the collar to the underarm . madame nhu , first lady of south vietnam , popularized a collarless version beginning in 1958 . the ao dai was most popular from 1960 to 1975 . a brightly colored áo dài hippy was introduced in 1968 . the áo dài mini , a version designed for practical use and convenience , had slits that extended above the waist and panels that reached only to the knee . communist period the ao dai has always been more common in the south than in the north . the communists , who gained power in the north in 1954 and in the south in the 1975 , had conflicted feelings about the ao dai . they praised it as a national costume and one was worn to the paris peace conference ( 1968 – 73 ) by vietcong negotiator nguyễn thị bình . yet westernized versions of the dress and those associated with " decadent " saigon of the 1960s and early 1970s were condemned . economic crisis , famine , and war with cambodia combined to make the 1980s a fashion low point . the ao dai was rarely worn except at weddings and other formal occasions , with the older , looser - fitting style preferred . overseas vietnamese , meanwhile , kept tradition alive with " miss ao dai " pageants ( hoa hậu ) , the most notable one held annually in long beach , california . the ao dai experienced a revival beginning in late 1980s , when state enterprise and schools began adopting the dress as a uniform again . in 1989 , 16 , 000 vietnamese attended a miss ao dai beauty contest held in ho chi minh city . when the miss international pageant in tokyo gave its " best national costume " award to an ao dai - clad trường mai in 1995 , trang ( new fashion magazine ) claimed that vietnam 's " national soul " was " once again honored . " an " ao dai craze " followed that lasted for several years and led to wider use of the dress as a school uniform . present day no longer deemed politically controversial , ao dai fashion design is supported by the vietnamese government . it is often called áo dài việt nam to link it to patriotic feelings . designer le si hoang is a celebrity in vietnam and his shop in saigon is the place to visit for those who admire the dress . in hanoi , tourists get fitted with ao dai on luong van can street . the elegant city of huế in the central region is known for its ao dai , lá ( leaf hats ) , and well - dressed women . the ao dai is now standard for weddings , for celebrating tết and for other formal occasions . it 's required uniform for female teacher ( mostly from high school to below ) and female student in common high school in the south ; no require about color or pattern for teacher when student use plain white for school uniform . companies often require their female staff to wear uniforms that include the ao dai , so flight attendants , receptionists , bank female staff , restaurant staff , and hotel workers in vietnam may be seen wearing it . the most popular style of ao dai fits tightly around the wearer 's upper torso , emphasizing her bust and curves . although the dress covers the entire body , it is thought to be provocative , especially when it is made of thin fabric . " the ao dai covers everything , but hides nothing " , according to one saying . the dress must be individually fitted and usually requires several weeks for a tailor to complete . an ao dai costs about $ 200 in the united states and about $ 40 in vietnam . " symbolically , the ao dai invokes nostalgia and timelessness associated with a gendered image of the homeland for which many vietnamese people throughout the diaspora yearn " , wrote t. lieu , an assistant professor at the university of texas at austin . the difficulties of working while wearing an ao dai link the dress to frailty and innocence , she wrote . vietnamese writers who favor the use of the ao dai as a school uniform cite the inconvenience of wearing it as an advantage , a way of teaching students feminine behavior such as modesty , caution , and a refined manner . the ao dai is featured in an array of vietnam - themed or related movies . in good morning , vietnam ( 1987 ) , robin williams 's character is wowed by ao dai - clad women when he first arrives in saigon . the 1992 films and the lover inspired several international fashion houses to design ao dai collections , including prada 's collection and a armani collection . in the vietnamese film the white silk dress ( 2007 ) , an ao dai is the sole legacy that the mother of a poverty - stricken family has to pass on to her daughters . the hanoi city complex , a 65 - story building now under construction , will have an ao dai - inspired design . vietnamese designers created ao dai for the contestants in the miss universe beauty contest , which was held july 2008 in nha trang , vietnam . the most prominent annual ao dai festival outside of vietnam is held each year in san jose , california , a city that is home to a large vietnamese american community . this event features an international array of designer ao dia under the direction of festival founder , jenny do . gallery ao dai