Typing the keyword "Vietnamese traditional costumes" will yield numerous results from websites, organizations, and individuals who design, sew, or rent costumes that are either recreated or inspired by traditional Vietnamese clothing. Along with Ỷ Vân Hiên (a company researching, restoring, and supplying traditional costumes/traditional cultural products...) – which was almost the sole provider in previous years – you'll find many other names and brands: Hoa Niên, Great Vietnam, V'style-Vietnamese traditional costumes, Dynasty Fashion, Thủy Trung Nguyệt, Cổ trang Đại Việt quán, Đông Phong...
Bustling with people dressing up, lively with people renting/making clothes.
Recently, images of artists, young men and women, newlyweds, and students wearing traditional Vietnamese clothing (such as the five-panel áo ngũ thân, nhật bình, giao lĩnh) at meaningful events or during leisure and travel have been appearing more and more frequently on social media and in the media. For example, artist Huỳnh Lập recently shared an image of himself in traditional Vietnamese attire celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year) on his personal page; singer Nguyễn Trần Trung Quân and designer Denis Đặng wore outfits inspired by the Nguyễn Dynasty during their performance at the V-Heartbeat music event; and the group Đuốc Mồi, upon receiving the WeChoice award for their project "Vietnamese History of Heroism," also wore traditional Vietnamese clothing and shared afterwards that "we – young Vietnamese people – are proud to introduce to everyone the traditional clothing of our ancestors. And no one else but young people are holding and opening up the flow of the country's culture in this new era..."
 Five-panel dress for women Photo: Provided by Y Van Hien |
Moreover, browsing through websites specializing in designing, tailoring, and renting traditional Vietnamese costumes reveals a bustling atmosphere of "ordering" for Tet (Lunar New Year) like never before. Those who follow Hoa Nien (a website providing tailoring and rental services for Vietnamese-inspired designs and cultural products) will feel this atmosphere, from the continuous stream of Tet costumes available for rent and ordered, to the Tet-related activities that this clothing brand participates in.
According to Ngo Le Duy, co-founder of Hoa Nien, the most popular items here include: the five-panel áo ngũ thân (a type of áo characteristic of the Nguyen Dynasty, often worn on formal occasions), and the áo nhật bình (the everyday attire of empresses and princesses in the Nguyen Dynasty). V'style - Modernized Vietnamese traditional clothing - has a whole collection for Tet 2021, featuring modernized áo ngũ thân for women and men, jackets inspired by the áo nhật bình, etc. Meanwhile, Thuy Trung Nguyet officially announced that Tet orders would close on January 20th, with a heartwarming message: "Those who haven't placed Tet orders yet, please wait until after Tet to receive them. We have 365 days to love Vietnamese traditional clothing!"
It will flourish and develop even further.
According to Ton That Minh Khoi (founder of the Thien Nam Lich Dai Hau Phi website): “As someone who has been involved in the traditional style movement, I see a significant change in clothing styles with the choice of traditional Tet attire this year. Many forms of five-panel ao dai, single-panel ao dai, etc., have appeared, occupying a large proportion of the modernized ao dai market.” Minh Khoi believes this is a positive trend and “I sincerely hope it will become a strong movement so that from now on, traditional clothing styles will be used more often, not just during Tet and other holidays.”
From another perspective, Mr. Nguyen Duc Loc (founder of Y Van Hien) observes: "The trend of wearing traditional Vietnamese clothing has developed strongly in the last one or two years, especially around Tet (Lunar New Year), when the trend of traditional clothing flourishes even more. This is inevitable. Because it's not by chance that this movement is so vibrant and spreading throughout society in many fields." According to him, "that's the link, the connection, and the influence from over a decade ago, stemming from the research of Professor Dr. Doan Thi Tinh (research on Vietnamese costumes), researcher Trinh Bach (reconstructing court costumes), researcher Trinh Quang Vu (research on costumes of Vietnamese feudal dynasties)... Then in 2010 - the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long, many historical films about dynasties were released, creating a wave of controversy - especially regarding costumes. This public opinion prompted many scholars to research ancient costumes, including Mr. Tran Quang Duc (who later published the book 'A Thousand Years of Clothing and Headwear'). By 2014 and 2015, the first groups dedicated to ancient costumes and traditional Vietnamese culture were established: Dai Viet Co Phong, Dinh Lang Viet..., followed by Y Van Hien, Vietnam Centre...".
 Five-panel dress Photo: Provided by Y Van Hien |
Nguyen Duc Loc believes that, in line with the trend, alongside traditional costume manufacturers, modern tailors are also beginning to return to making traditional and antique costumes... this is truly a market being explored. “This is just the beginning, and I think this movement will continue to develop strongly in the coming years. Many scholars jokingly say that the past 10 years (2010-2020) have been a memorable decade for Vietnamese traditional costumes, a period of revival for them many decades from now. This is the result of the efforts of many generations, and we in the traditional costume community are always proud of that,” he said.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-phuc-viet-ron-rang-don-xuan-1851033918.htm
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