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 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 áo dài"), the most notable one held annually in long beach, california.