To make the Ao Dai heritage become Hanoi's tourism ambassador

For a long time, the traditional Ao Dai has been considered a cultural heritage and a source of pride for the Vietnamese people. For Hanoi - the capital of a thousand years of civilization, where culture and creativity crystallize and spread, making Ao Dai a tourism ambassador is not only to honor the heritage, but also an effective way to promote the image of Hanoi's culture and people to international friends.

Ao dai performance at the 2025 Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival at Hanoi Museum.

Love Hanoi through traditional ao dai

In the flow of national cultural history in general and Hanoi in particular, the traditional ao dai has many different stages of development, expressing the character of the Vietnamese people in each period. In which, mentioning the ao dai of Hanoi is mentioning the elegance, sophistication and beauty of the women of Trang An. Therefore, the ao dai has become a cultural symbol and gradually become the tourism ambassador of Hanoi and the country.

Sharing about the Ao Dai costume in Hanoi life, designer Anh Thu - Ao Dai brand Ngan An, said that Hanoi people are neat and elegant, so the traditional Ao Dai of Hanoi tends to be elegant from color to design.

“Hanoi people choose to wear ao dai in many events, from important events to going out and walking around town. Therefore, when coming to Hanoi, people can easily see ao dai fluttering on the streets - a very beautiful image of the capital”, Ms. Anh Thu expressed.

According to researcher Nguyen Duc Binh, Chairman of the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club, for many years, the club has often organized performance events and parades with Ao Dai on the streets of Hanoi, attracting a large number of people and tourists.

“Many tourists are very excited to wear Ao Dai to participate in events in the capital. That shows the important presence of Ao Dai in the lives of Hanoians,” said Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh.

According to the Chairman of the Vietnamese Village Communal House Club, Hanoi currently has a lot of potential to develop the tourism Ao Dai brand, because this is one of the largest Ao Dai creative and development centers in the country. Many famous designers and famous Ao Dai brands are concentrated in the capital, such as: Ngan An, Lan Huong, Chu La,

Do Trinh Hoai Nam, Ngoc Han, OZ Design House, La Sen Vu, Duc Hung... Many streets in Hanoi have formed "ao dai streets", attracting many people and tourists, such as: Hang Bong, Cau Go, Luong Van Can, Tran Xuan Soan, Pho Hue , Kim Ma... In particular, many famous designers have opened their own creative spaces for ao dai, contributing to the brand of Hanoi ao dai, such as Lan Huong Fashion House space recognized as a tourist destination "Vietnamese ao dai space".

New tourism brand positioning

Identifying traditional Ao Dai as a potential to form unique tourism products, in recent years, Hanoi has organized activities to honor and promote Ao Dai culture through periodic events such as: Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival; Hanoi Autumn Festival, Thang Long - Hanoi Festival...

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival has been held for the past four years and has had a strong influence. Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Nguyen Tran Quang said: "Ao Dai is not only a symbol of Vietnamese culture but also a tourism ambassador, contributing to promoting the image of Hanoi - a safe, friendly, quality and attractive destination".

Along with the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival, the city also launched many activities and events in response. The Hanoi Women's Union organized an Ao Dai parade in the walking street of Hoan Kiem Lake. In 2024, the Hanoi Department of Tourism coordinated with other units to organize the program "Ao Dai connecting tourism and heritage of Hanoi" with the participation of 150 people wearing Ao Dai cycling through the capital's typical heritages.

This year, the Hanoi Ao Dai Tourism Festival is an activity within the framework of the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival, attracting about 20,000 visitors, with 80 exhibition booths, gathering many famous designers from three regions of the country. Many Ao Dai performances took place at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Site, the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam and the Hanoi Museum, bringing a new creative space for Ao Dai, inspiring designers to create attractive artistic products.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son, a full-time member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, ao dai can completely become a unique tourism product if creative spaces are expanded and many ao dai-related activities are organized for tourists to experience.

According to Vice President of Hanoi Tourism Association Nguyen Tien Dat, Hanoi can develop the tour “Hanoi in Ao Dai”, connecting heritage sites, museums with traditional tailors. In addition, the tourism industry needs to develop a program to explain to tourists the history of Ao Dai and the differences in the Ao Dai tailoring profession in Hanoi.

It can be seen that making the ao dai the tourism ambassador of the capital is not only an act of preserving cultural values, but also a way to position the brand "Creative City" for Hanoi.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/de-di-san-ao-dai-tro-thanh-dai-su-du-lich-ha-noi-723081.html