Launching the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia

VHO - Recently, within the framework of the Special Cultural Exchange Program in coordination with the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese and the Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Association (MVFA), the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia was officially launched in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia was officially launched in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

The event is held in a meaningful year when Vietnam celebrates 80 years of independence and 50 years of national reunification, while Malaysia celebrates 68 years of National Day as ASEAN Chair.

Attending the launching ceremony were representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia; the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism , Arts and Culture; the Malaysia - Vietnam Friendship Association and many guests.

On the Vietnamese side, there were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Ao Dai Culture Association; Ms. Hoang Thi Ngoc Mai, Vice President in charge of External Affairs; and Vice Presidents of the Association: Phung Thi Thu Thuy, Nguyen Lan Vy; Presidents of the Ao Dai Heritage Clubs of Hanoi City and Da Nang City.

At the launching ceremony, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, Head of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia, expressed: "For overseas Vietnamese, Ao Dai is not only a source of national pride but also a testament to integration while still preserving identity."

“The Club members will strive to organize many activities to connect the community of ao dai lovers, connect and share experiences in preserving heritage, so that ao dai is not only present in the Vietnamese community but also welcomed by Malaysian friends and people of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, towards recognizing ao dai as a world fashion heritage,” said Ms. Lien.

A representative of the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture affirmed: "Vietnamese Ao Dai carries within it identity, dignity and inheritance"

Comparing Vietnamese Ao Dai with traditional Malaysian costumes such as Kebaya or Baju Kurung , Mr. Muhammad Afiq bin Anuar, representative of the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, affirmed: "Vietnamese Ao Dai carries within it identity, dignity and inheritance."

“The establishment of the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia will open a new bridge, contributing to enriching ASEAN's cultural treasures, while promoting mutual respect among countries,” Mr. Muhammad emphasized.

Particularly, in the context of an increasingly developing creative economy, heritage and fashion both play a cultural role and contribute to creating new values ​​in exchange, commerce and human connection.

Emotionally sharing that the ao dai is the “cultural ambassador” of Vietnam, Ms. Tran Thi Chang, President of MVFA, said: “For the Vietnamese community living far from home, the ao dai has a new layer of meaning: It is the attachment to the origin, a way to remind people of culture, tradition and identity in life in a foreign land.”

“The MVFA will focus on promoting cultural and artistic exchanges, affirming the role of the Vietnamese community in Malaysia as a cultural and social bridge between the two countries, and at the same time fostering the spirit of ASEAN solidarity,” Ms. Chang emphasized.

The birth of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia vividly demonstrates the enduring vitality of a heritage in the flow of integration.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Ao Dai Culture Association, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund: “The Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia is not the first Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club abroad. Before that, there were more than a dozen clubs launched in France, Belgium, Japan, etc. However, the launch of the Vietnam Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia is really necessary, as a premise for launching clubs in the ASEAN region.”

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, the establishment of the Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia is both to preserve a heritage and to affirm that Vietnamese cultural identity can spread strongly in the context of integration. At the same time, this is also an opportunity to connect the domestic and international communities, honor and preserve cultural heritage and Vietnamese Ao Dai.

The establishment of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Heritage Club in Malaysia is not only a community cultural activity, but also a vivid demonstration of the enduring vitality of a heritage in the flow of integration.

From Hanoi, Paris, Brussels, Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur, the ao dai is gradually becoming a “soft language” of cultural diplomacy, spreading Vietnamese pride and contributing to connecting the ASEAN community on the basis of respecting identity.

In the context of increasingly vibrant creative economy and international exchange, the ao dai as a cultural and fashion symbol will continue to be a bridge for Vietnam to affirm its position, while fostering understanding, connection and harmony among peoples in the region and around the world.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/ra-mat-clb-di-san-ao-dai-viet-nam-tai-malaysia-165390.html