Male student designs 'Nine Dragons Hidden in the Clouds' costume for Miss International 2025

This design won first prize in the national cultural costume contest at Miss Vietnam 2024, paving the way for its journey to the international stage.

Design born from promise and memory

Huy shared that the biggest inspiration to create "Cuu Long An Van" started from a trip to Hue . The moment standing under the ceiling of King Khai Dinh's tomb and admiring the painting "Cuu Long An Van" by artist Phan Van Tanh left a deep impression on the male student. In the painting, the majestic and flexible beauty of nine dragons hidden in the clouds overwhelmed Huy and ignited the dream of bringing that image into his own creation.

“At that moment, I promised my father that I would make a costume inspired by this painting,” Huy said. This simple promise became the motivation for the male student to create the design as a way to preserve memories and pay tribute to national culture.

Designers Van Thanh Cong (first left) and Huy (second from right) received the award for the most beautiful national cultural costume at Miss Vietnam 2024

PHOTO: NVCC

Choosing the dragon as the main image, Huy explained that this is not only a sacred mascot but also a symbol of wisdom, royal power and royal art. In Huy's mind, the image of the dragon in the painting at Khai Dinh Tomb is always vivid as if moving in the clouds, becoming the highlight that guides the entire design development process from shape, motifs to material treatment.

The journey to complete "Cuu Long An Van" lasted nearly 2 years. The first year, Huy spent sketching and perfecting the domestic competition version. The following year, he continued to edit the structure, materials and upgrade details to better suit international standards.

Connecting Vietnamese cultural beauty with the international beauty stage

Throughout the process, every detail required meticulousness. Huy said there was no truly “easy” part, as everything required patience to maintain the graceful spirit of the dragon and cloud images.

The costume uses brocade, Thai Tuan silk and light-catching fabrics to create depth and elegance. Huy combines many manual techniques such as stone embellishment, pearl embellishment, tassel making, 3D printing for accessories such as headdress and necklace. Nearly 50 meters of fabric were processed, cut and sewn.

When preparing for Miss International 2025, Huy had to adjust the size of some details of the costume to be both majestic and convenient to move on the international stage. The male student said he met and talked directly with Miss Kieu Duy to understand the style, gait and performance spirit, from there adjusting the weight, shape and softness to flatter the wearer's figure.

The national cultural costume "Cuu Long An Van" was previously performed at Miss Vietnam 2024

PHOTO: NVCC

According to Huy, in the name "Cuu Long An Van", "An Van" symbolizes the image of a dragon hidden in the clouds, a symbol of the aspiration to reach the sky, of harmony between humans, nature and the universe.

Huy hopes that international audiences can see the "soul" of Vietnam through the sophisticated paintings, feel the harmony between tradition and modernity, and the cultural depth of royal art.

As a student, receiving the responsibility of creating national cultural costumes for a major arena brings Huy both pressure and motivation. The pressure to do a perfect job when representing Vietnamese culture, and the motivation to strive to learn and create with all his heart.

This design was performed by Miss Kieu Duy at Miss International 2025

PHOTO: NVCC

When bringing this costume to the international arena, Huy hopes that viewers will feel the Vietnamese spirit and identity through every detail.

Huy sent a message to Miss Kieu Duy who is competing in Japan: “Always be confident and shine. Every detail of "Cuu Long An Van" contains Vietnamese cultural pride. With Duy's grace and courage, the costume will come alive, telling the whole cultural story that it conveys.”

Huy's mentor, designer Van Thanh Cong, said he first met Huy at the Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 contest. He commented that although Huy lacked experience at that time, he made up for it with outstanding talent, good aesthetic thinking and clear ambitions. Therefore, Cong invited Huy to join the team, continued to encourage and persuade his student to pursue a few more contests.

Young designer Nguyen Song Huy

PHOTO: NVCC

During the development of "Cuu Long An Van", the teacher and student often discussed to perfect every detail, before Mr. Cong decided to choose this as the main costume to compete in the national cultural costume contest of Miss Vietnam 2024. Mr. Cong assessed Huy as a good listener, persistent and rich in research ability, especially passionate about exploiting the beauty of Vietnamese culture, especially the ao dai.

Regarding the journey at Miss International, Mr. Cong expects: "With the enthusiasm of Miss Kieu Duy, along with the ability to perform flexibly even on a stage with stairs or complex costume details, the Vietnamese representative will create a beautiful image in the eyes of the judges." He believes in the opportunity to compete for best national costume, bringing the Vietnamese cultural imprint to spread strongly on the international stage.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nam-sinh-thiet-ke-trang-phuc-cuu-long-an-van-du-thi-hoa-hau-quoc-te-2025-18525111709580752.htm