Director Nguyen Lan Vy: When the Ao Dai becomes a cultural ambassador

Master Nguyen Lan Vy - director, entrepreneur, designer, President and General Director of VKSTAR Joint Stock Company is one of those people. She is not only the person behind the colorful cultural art stages, but also the person who "breathes life" into each Ao Dai, each performance, to spread Vietnamese identity to audiences at home and abroad.

Director Nguyen Lan Vy - a pioneer in bringing national culture into contemporary art stage.

A solid foundation fromeducation to love of culture

Born in Hue, an ancient land associated with cultural heritage and royal spirit, Nguyen Lan Vy was exposed to traditional arts from her heart early on. Graduated from the University of Foreign Languages ​​and the University of Economics , she continued to broaden her horizons when studying abroad in New Zealand, where she received a Master's degree in Business Administration and Festival Stage Director. The combination of a modern educational background and a deep love for Vietnamese culture has created a unique Nguyen Lan Vy, a modern woman with a traditional heart, a creative director who still maintains the national cultural identity.

Intimate, elegant and full of charisma - Director Nguyen Lan Vy is the embodiment of the new-age Vietnamese woman.

Unlike many businesses operating in the field of pure event organization, VKSTAR Joint Stock Company under the leadership of Ms. Nguyen Lan Vy has a strong mission of developing "cultural tourism " with the slogan "Keeping the fire for the Vietnamese soul". VKSTAR has organized the Ao Dai Show every night to serve tourists for nearly 10 years, in Hue and Da Nang cities, attracting many international tourists to enjoy, creating a unique Vietnamese cultural and artistic destination. Contributing to the restoration, preservation and modernization of traditional art forms, especially the image of traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai.

Director Lan Vy always believes that "The true value of a person lies not only in their success, but in what they leave behind for the community."

At VKSTAR, each event is not simply a performance, but a cultural story told through the language of art. Director Lan Vy devotes much effort to designing and training a young team that loves national culture, working with artisans and designers to make each program have a clear Vietnamese mark, from music, costumes to stage design.

With a disciplined lifestyle and spirit of service, Nguyen Lan Vy always leaves a deep impression in the business and cultural community.

The most prominent mark in Nguyen Lan Vy's artistic journey is her role as General Director for a series of national and international cultural programs. These include "Hue Festival Ao Dai Festival 2018", "Golden Hue", "Hue Ao Dai Festival from 2020 to 2025", "Vietnam Angel", "Countryside Market Festival 2022 -2023 and 2024", "Colors of Da Nang 2024", "Enjoy Da Nang 2024", or most recently "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Hue and Da Nang", "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification".

Director Nguyen Lan Vy: When the Ao Dai becomes a cultural ambassador

Not only does she organize, she is the creative soul behind the script, staging, connecting the community and leading hundreds of artists to participate. For her, each program is not just a “show” but also a community cultural event, where local people participate, children learn, tourists experience and international friends learn more about the depth of Vietnamese culture. One of her special creations is to turn the ao dai into a language of artistic expression. She believes that the ao dai is not just a costume, but the Vietnamese spirit crystallized over time - a soft symbol of national pride.

Bringing Vietnamese culture to the world with "soft language"

In the journey to preserve and promote national cultural identity, director Nguyen Lan Vy's aspiration does not stop at territorial boundaries. As a passionate artist and a visionary entrepreneur, she is always concerned with the question: How can Vietnamese culture not only be preserved, but also spread in the colorful world? Her answer lies in two words: "soft language" - the language of emotions, of beauty, of things that do not need translation but can touch the hearts of people in any culture. For her, the ao dai - a symbol of Vietnamese beauty - is one of those "languages". Each ao dai, each design, each gesture, each step of a Vietnamese person in the ao dai is a visual story, a crystallization of art, traditional cultural history and national identity. For her, cultural art programs are not only cultural tourism products, but she also breathes life into each performance, so that international audiences not only watch, but also feel and understand. She once shared that she cherished a plan to bring the art program "Vietnamese Soul" - a symphony of Ao Dai, traditional music and performance art to Europe.

According to Ms. Lan Vy, bringing traditional art to the international stage is not only a source of pride, but also a commitment and a responsibility.

“Vietnamese culture is not inferior to any other country, as long as we have the right way to tell stories and have enough power to move people,” she said. However, the journey is not smooth. “Cultural business” has always been considered a bumpy road, because products are not easy to price, audiences are difficult to please, and profits are sometimes not commensurate with the effort put in.

But when asked why she chose that path, director Nguyen Lan Vy just smiled gently: “Because I can’t do otherwise. Vietnamese culture is so beautiful, if it doesn’t spread, it will fade away one day.” For her, business is not just about money. It is a way to preserve the profession, preserve the art and preserve the people. Each art program, each Ao Dai performance, each cultural experience space that she has worked hard to build are bricks that contribute to building the spiritual “tower” of the nation. That is why her programs always aim for community. Regardless of age, status or origin, all those who are passionate about national culture can find a place in the stages she creates. Elderly artisans who are used to a quiet life in the countryside are now honored in the spotlight. Children in the highlands who are talented in dancing and singing, who lack access to formal art, are discovered, nurtured and given opportunities to develop by her. She believes: “If we do not support the young generation, the continuity of culture will be broken. Traditional culture cannot survive without a person who inherits it with all his heart.”

Portrait of director Lan Vy - a strong woman, both running a business and directing national-scale art programs.

By organizing open programs where professional artists stand on the same stage with children, folk artists or young people who have never been to school. Director Nguyen Lan Vy has turned the performances into “community schools” of culture. There is no boundary between performers and viewers, between teachers and students, between tradition and modernity, all blending in a very unique and familiar Vietnamese spirit. She not only “exports” culture to the world, but also sows the seeds of love for culture in the hearts of the young generation. That is a long-term strategy, both building the national image and ensuring the sustainability of the development of national culture in the future.

Women's leadership in arts, culture and community

As a woman who works extensively in three fields; tourism, art, business and community, director Nguyen Lan Vy has been affirming the position of Vietnamese women in the new era, brave, talented and full of humanity. Not only is she a director passionate about traditional art, she is also the founder and director of community connection projects, with strong social, humanitarian and educational values. In any role, businesswoman and director Nguyen Lan Vy brings a source of positive energy, spreading kindness and inspiring the younger generation, especially students and women. She not only sees art as a performing tool, but also as a form of healing. Healing the audience through the beauty of music, ao dai and traditional cultural space. But more deeply, it is also a healing for those who stand on stage, from old artisans, little-known artists, to talented children in remote areas. She creates opportunities for them to contribute, to develop and to see their own value, in the spirit of Vietnamese culture, humble, patient but full of inner strength.

Each art program is a brainchild that director Lan Vy always puts her heart and soul into each product.

Not stopping at the achievements, the journey of master, director Nguyen Lan Vy is still continuing with a pioneering spirit. She constantly innovates, organizes highly interactive art programs, combining modern technology and traditional art, a bold but necessary step in the current context of strong digitalization and globalization.

One of the most passionate projects that she has built and continues to build is the cultural tourism program “Ao Dai Show”, honoring the history and traditional culture of Vietnam, a cultural experience space in Da Nang where visitors can admire the colorful Ao Dai designs performed on stage, but also “live” in Vietnamese culture, experience wearing Ao Dai, enjoy Vietnamese music and art and learn the story behind each character and artifact. That space is not only a bright cultural tourism destination, but also a living cultural conservation center, where people connect with heritage through real experiences and real emotions.

Master Nguyen Lan Vy is also one of the few female leaders who have a lasting influence in the community through practical volunteer activities such as: supporting poor children, helping the disadvantaged, giving out free bread every Monday morning for many years, accompanying elderly artisans in difficult circumstances. For her, doing art or volunteering all come from a common source, a kind heart and belief in beauty.

Nguyen Lan Vy is not only a talented director or a successful businesswoman. She is also a woman who is quietly continuing to write the story of Vietnamese culture with all her heart and mind, through a tireless journey that has lasted for many years. In each Ao Dai fluttering on stage, in each smile shining on the audience's face, is the image of a woman who is trying to preserve the Vietnamese soul, a soft but powerful heritage. Since then, the image of Vietnamese women leaders has gradually appeared in public spaces, not noisy, not ostentatious but powerful enough to inspire and lead.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dao-dien-nguyen-lan-vy-khi-ta-ao-dai-tro-thanh-su-gia-van-hoa-314774.html