Ambassador connects tourists with Vietnamese traditional dress (áo dài) at Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week.

Photo caption — Ambassadors of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week shared positive images of the Vietnamese ao dai at the "Authentic Night" ambassador exchange event on the evening of December 9th.

During the “Authentic Night” ambassador exchange night, 20 Ao Dai designs inspired by traditional to contemporary styles by designer Trung Dinh were showcased in front of Ben Thanh Market, attracting a large crowd of locals and tourists. The Ao Dai designs used ombre dyeing techniques, realistically painted on silk, and delicately depicted Vietnam’s famous landscapes on the Vietnamese Ao Dai.

Sharing with reporters of Tin Tuc and Dan Toc Newspaper, designer Trung Dinh said that each Ao Dai costume introduced to tourists carries within it a meaning like a "soft ambassador", spreading the image of Vietnam to friends all over the country and abroad. What makes Vietnamese Ao Dai go beyond the scope of a costume is its ability to preserve identity through each fold, color and pattern. There, international tourists are often attracted by the soft lines, the lightness but still maintaining the spirit of balance between tradition and modernity of Vietnamese Ao Dai.

According to designer Trung Dinh, each of his designs tells a story about travel, whether it be the rocky mountains of Ha Giang , the golden hues of Hoi An, the sunshine of Phu Quoc or the cultural flow of Saigon - Cho Lon. Therefore, when entering the collection, viewers are led to a separate land, where aesthetics and experience blend.

For the Ao Dai collection within the framework of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week, the designer introduced the image of Ho Chi Minh City tourism after the merger. This is a larger tourism space and more destinations. Specifically, the Ao Dai designs introduced in the exchange night will contain destinations of Ho Chi Minh City, such as the colors of Vung Tau beach, craft villages in Binh Duong (old) and the history of Ho Chi Minh City.

"To continue spreading the image of Vietnamese ao dai to the world, we need to promote the image of ao dai in more tourism activities. It will become an emotional touchpoint to help international tourists understand more deeply about Vietnam - a country rich in visual memories and cultural stories," designer Trung Dinh added.

As a model performing in the art night program, Miss Ha Truc Linh said that she is a young person who accompanies the ao dai in international events as well as in daily life. For Truc Linh, the vitality of the ao dai lies in its ability to flexibly change according to trends, from materials, colors to shapes, but still retains the "roots" of Vietnamese culture. In particular, every time she wears the ao dai, she clearly feels the elegance, sophistication and pride that this outfit brings. When introducing the ao dai to international friends, she always sees their interest and curiosity.

For Truc Linh, the ao dai is not only a traditional costume but also a way for young people to tell stories about identity in the era of globalization. “Today’s youth choose the ao dai not because they are forced to, but because we feel beautiful, confident and connected to culture,” Miss Truc Linh added.

Similarly, runner-up Bao Ngoc also shared many special memories when wearing Ao Dai to participate in cultural exchange activities in many countries. There were moments when, despite standing among hundreds of representatives from different countries, Ao Dai helped her stand out and connect more easily. For her, Ao Dai is a strong "identification mark" - an image that is both elegant and rich in cultural meaning.

Runner-up Bao Ngoc said that if she had the opportunity to spread the image of Ao Dai more widely, she would like to do it in the direction of community interaction, so that Ao Dai is not just an image to be admired but becomes a life experience. She believes that this approach will bring Ao Dai closer to the global young generation, who are more interested in experiencing indigenous cultures.

For actor Dinh Khang, who participated in the film Red Rain, the return of the ao dai in modern life is associated with the aesthetic change of young men: elegant, minimalist but still maintaining closeness. He has had the opportunity to wear the ao dai in many film projects and found that this outfit brings significant emotional depth to the character.

According to him, the ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) has the ability to create a very Vietnamese, very Saigon atmosphere in every frame. In the future, if the ao dai is incorporated into works of art that explore the image of Ho Chi Minh City - a youthful but traditionally rich city - then the audience will clearly feel the familiarity of the city.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said that choosing Ao Dai as the center of connection in the "Authentic Night" is in the direction of making indigenous cultural elements become the core assets of the city's tourism industry. Accordingly, each story shared by the ambassadors not only inspires but also shows the power of heritage when told in the creative language of the young generation. This is also the way Ho Chi Minh City affirms its destination brand, a modern but rich in identity urban area, where visitors can feel the Vietnamese spirit from the most intimate details such as Ao Dai, music, art and lifestyle of the city's people.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the 2025 Tourism Week program is taking on a new youthful, friendly and vibrant look, reflecting the image of a newly merged city that is moving towards the vision of becoming a "super creative tourism ecosystem". The event takes place from December 5 to 12, 2025 with the theme "Vibrant Ho Chi Minh Fest", expanding to 168 wards, communes and the entire Con Dao special zone. During the week, visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a variety of cultural - artistic - culinary activities, from amateur music, water puppetry, concerts to fashion shows.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/dai-su-ket-noi-du-khach-voi-ao-dai-viet-tai-tuan-le-du-lich-tp-ho-chi-minh-20251210094203675.htm