All About Vietnamese Traditional Clothing

Have you ever wondered what Vietnamese traditional clothing that men and women wear? Or what kind of attire do they wear in their country? Let's examine Vietnamese culture, particularly their traditional garb.

OVERVIEW OF VIETNAMESE TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

The term "Vietnamese traditional clothing”, also known as "Trang phuc Viet”, refers to the traditional attire worn by Vietnamese people, particularly the Ao dai, the nation's unofficial national dress. Vietnamese traditional clothing incorporates both native and foreign elements as a result of the extensive and frequent cultural exchanges in which ancient Vietnam participated, creating a distinctive Vietnamese clothing style.

There are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, and each has its own distinctive fashions. Characteristics frequently include brilliant colors that appear to be at odds with one another in every ensemble, such as black and red, blue and red, or blue and white.

Natural fibers like hemp, silk, or cotton are used to weave the Vietnamese traditional clothing of the native peoples. These materials are suitable for a tropical climate since they are fine, reliable, and light. We shall only briefly discuss the traditional clothes of the Viet, the majority of Vietnamese natives, in this article due to the diversity and abundance of Vietnamese traditional clothing.

The color of clothing was once governed by royal decree. Only brown, black, or white was used for men's civilian clothing; yellow was reserved for monarchs; red was used for high-ranking mandarins; and blue or green was used to embellish the attire of lower-ranking mandarins.

For men, the Vietnamese traditional clothing includes brown clothes, turbans, and wooden sandals or shoes. Women wore classy black shirts and coats with light brown shirts as part of their formal attire, while males wore a white and black color scheme. Three tunics—one each in black or light brown, light yellow, and rose—are part of the women's formal attire. When getting dressed, the sections from the chest to the neck are twisted to reveal the three different colors and all three are buttoned at the ribcage. The ubiquitous conical hat completes the ensemble.

Vietnamese ethnic groups have always been impacted by international fashion in terms of their attire. A few traditional outfits are no longer used and have been replaced with more contemporary alternatives.

Vietnamese people typically dress in cotton-based clothing. Vietnam's northern and southern regions have various styles. Many natives in north Vietnam wear sandals made from used tire rubber. In south Vietnam, many men and women dress in western-style clothing. Some women still dress in the traditional Vietnamese attire known as ao dai. In rural areas, the majority of women wear loose white shirts with skirts. Likewise, men in rural areas dress in western attire. Vietnamese people favor wearing light clothing. Rural ladies typically wear loose-fitting dark pants and vividly embroidered tops. In the cities, many women and girls dress in the traditional Vietnamese outfit known as ao dai, which consists of a long tunic and baggy pants.

More and more metropolitan ladies are seen wearing dresses and shirts. Males in rural and working-class areas frequently wear plain shirts and pants. Males in cities typically wear Western-style attire.

Nowadays, Au phuc, a type of western clothes popularly known as Quan ao thuong ngay, is worn regularly by Vietnamese people.

HISTORY OF VIETNAMESE TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

History of Vietnamese traditional clothing and textiles reflects the country's culture and tradition, which dates back to the Bronze Age when people from many civilizations first settled there. It also reflects the Chinese people's long-term rule and cultural influence, as well as the brief French colonial rule. The dynamic cultural exchanges that resulted from these outside influences had a significant impact on Vietnam's history of clothing, eventually inspiring the development of a distinctive Vietnamese clothing style like the Ao dài. In addition, there are countless other dress styles that are specific to each ethnic group, as Vietnam has a diverse ethnic population.

Since prehistoric times, Vietnam has produced and used textile composed of banana fiber, barkcloth, and silk. Before cotton was invented, kapok and hemp were also widely utilized.

The Champa, an independent dynasty influenced by Indian culture, ruled the south for at least a thousand years while the Chinese ruled the north. The upper classes were more susceptible to the influence of foreign cultures than the common people, and this is shown in the dress styles that developed in Vietnam during this period, which combined both native and imported foreign elements. Vietnamese aristocracy in Northern Vietnam donned clothing in keeping with Chinese trends, and this look persisted even after Chinese rule was usurped by the independent kingdoms of ai Viet and Champa.

Twentieth Century

Since the nineteenth century, trendy clothing from other countries has been worn by Vietnamese people. The Ao dai was briefly outlawed after Saigon fell, but it was shortly revived. High school girls in Vietnam wear it in white as a part of their attire for class. It is also worn by female secretaries and receptionists. Vietnam's northern and southern regions have various styles. The most popular styles of Vietnamese traditional clothing today are the Ao dai for men and women and suits or occasionally the Ao gam (modified version of the Ao dai) for men.

SOME OF VIETNAMESE TRADITIONAL CLOTHING'S POPULAR KINDS 

Vietnamese Traditional Dress (Ao Dai)

Ao dai has occasionally stood in for Vietnamese femininity and the national pride of the Vietnamese people. Many visitors from around the world who go to Vietnam have a beautiful impression of Vietnamese women wearing Ao dai. 

The Ao Dai is without a doubt the most well-known Vietnamese traditional clothing, both in Vietnam and around the world. When the first Nguyen Lord in Hue realized that Vietnamese garments were very similar to those worn by the Chinese, he coined the term "Ao Dai" in the 18th century, during the Nguyen Dynasty. To set them apart from other nations, he gave orders to his subordinates to design our own outfits. This was another method for him to express his desire to rule a sovereign nation. In the original Ao Dai, there were five flaps, or "then," with two in the front, two in the back, and one inside the front flaps to represent the wearer. This five-than design symbolized "Tu Than Phu Mau”, which means that the child is always protected by their four parents (the biological parents plus the in-laws).

Ao Dai underwent numerous changes over the years as a result of exposure to Western culture. A French-trained artist by the name of Cat Tuong, or Le Mur, revolutionized this clothing style during French colonialism. He made the traditional ao dai much more fitted and in true colonial form, necessitating a tight-fitting corset. He merged the western dress style with the traditional ao dai. Ao Dai was marketed at the time as the national costume for the modern age. Up to its introduction as the straightforward, vibrant, and graceful Vietnamese national clothing in the current era, it underwent a variety of stylistic changes over the years. The modern "Ao Dai" is made up of long pants and a dress with two flaps (from waist down, the dress splits into front and back flaps).

Vietnamese traditional clothing is still a popular outfit for formal occasions like weddings and New Year festivities even though Vietnamese people nowadays are accustomed to wearing Western apparel. It represents the beauty of Vietnamese culture.

Since the reign of Lord Nguyen, men are not subject to the same severe "Ao Dai" dress codes as women. It is now occasionally worn by males for special occasions, but it is less common than for women. As a result, Ao Dai is also the traditional dress for men in Vietnam. It is a long silk tunic with a left-side-buttoned classic tight collar. The male tunic is worn below the knees and is worn with loose pants underneath.

Men's versions of ao dais, or modified ao dais, are also worn on formal occasions like weddings and ceremonial ceremonies. Ao dai is one of the few Vietnamese terms that can be found in dictionaries written in English. The non la and khan van pair well with the ao dai.

Ao dai is simple to recognize due to its traditional appearance, which mimics Chinese-style clothing.

Non La Vietnam

Vietnamese people wear non la (Vietnamese hat/Vietnamese palm-leaf hat) as a traditional sign without regard to age, sex, or race.

Like many other Vietnamese traditional clothing, the Non la has a unique background that is rooted in a myth about the country's rice cultivation. The story centers on a gigantic woman from the sky who has saved humanity from a torrential downpour. To protect herself from the rain, she wore a hat made of four leaves arranged in a circle. Vietnamese people erected a temple to honor the Goddess as the Rain-shielding Goddess after she had passed away. Locals searched the forest for readily available and natural materials like palm leaves, Moc tree bark, and bamboo to build the Non La as it is known today in an attempt to create a hat identical to the one the Goddess wore. The Non La has developed into a daily need for rice field farmers, river boatmen and women, and small-town street merchants in major towns.

Non La is a style of dress worn by Vietnamese ladies. When visiting Vietnam, you might see that local women are taking pictures of Non La as she walks down the street. In the countryside of a tropical country like Vietnam, this conical hat is very practical. It protects farmers from the sun and rain.

The Non La of Chuong Village (30 km southwest of Hanoi) and Non Bai Tho in Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, are the two most well-known varieties of Non La. Because each hat features a drawing of a Vietnamese poem or piece of folklore, created by skilled artisans, which can only be seen in the sunlight, Non Bai Tho literally translates as "poetry conical hat”. To firmly secure the hat on the wearer's head, a soft silk tie is affixed to the interior of the hat.

Ao tu than

The Ao Tu Than, which Vietnamese women wore prior to the invention of the Ao Dai, is regarded as one of the nation's most enduring artifacts. Ao Tu Than's origin is still unknown, although its image was carved into the surface of a copper drum called a Trong Dong thousands of years ago.

The "Yem," a prehistoric bodice worn by women to cover their chests as an undergarment, a long skirt that extends from the waist, and a flowing tunic that is worn as the top layer make up the basic Ao Tu Than. The tunic separates into four flaps, also known as "than”: the two front flaps can be connected together by a silk sash tied at the waist as a belt, and the two back flaps can be sewed together to form a full flap. Ao Tu Than was initially coloured using organic materials like dirt, tropical almond leaves, or dye-yam. Ao Tu Than is no longer frequently employed in local daily life in the modern period, although it is still present at many northern-themed festivals and events with more vibrant colors because of the contrasting color gradients in the bodice, skirt, and tunic.

Vietnamese people later transformed Ao Dai into a four-panel dress known as Ao tu than. The two fronts of the rudimentary Ao Dai are sometimes let to intersect rather than being tied together. The Ao Dai Giao progressively transforms into Ao tu than, a four-panel traditional clothing, to aid in the activities of farming and selling. The front of an ao tu is made up of two different pieces of fabric that are tied together to form a huge piece of clothing. Not entirely tucked in, the upper section of the chest exposes the camisole that is concealed underneath.

Ao Tu Than is often only worn by ladies during festivals, Tet, and special occasions, occasionally paired with Non Quai Thao. Non Quai Thao and traditional Vietnamese attire have not been well-liked for more than fifty years. The vocation has altered as a result of the two well-known villages, Trieu Khuc village for Quai Thao conical hats and Chuong village for Thung conical hats.

You can see female folk singers wearing this attire along with accessories, such as "Khan Mo Qua” — a black crow's beak kerchief made of heavy fabric, "Guoc Moc” — a pair of wooden clogs, and "Non Quai Thao” — a type of conical hat with fringe hanging at both sides — if you have the chance to attend the Lim festival in Bac Ninh Province.

Ao ba ba

The inhabitants of the Mekong Delta (southern Vietnam) have their own Vietnamese traditional clothing, the Ao Ba Ba, despite the fact that the Ao Dai is chosen as the national costume of Vietnam. The majority of the locals in the rural areas of the southwest wear this shirt while going about their daily lives, indicating how well-liked this costume is there. Images of the Ao Ba Ba shimmering beneath lush coconut groves, on rowing boats down rivers, over monkey bamboo bridges, or between bustling floating marketplaces might leave you in awe while visiting the Mekong Delta.

The Ao Ba Ba is a shirt without a collar and a straight strip of fabric for the back. There are buttons from the neck down to the belly in the center of the front flap, which is divided into two sections. Long white or black trousers are frequently worn with this ornate shirt. The mix and preferences of the wearers determine the colors and materials of this ensemble. Black or brown Ao Ba Ba were traditionally worn by farmers and peasants in the Mekong Delta to work in the rice fields since they were hygienic and simple to clean. Simple materials like single fabrics, smelly fabrics, and linoleum work well as sewing fabrics since they dry rapidly after washing. Two more pockets that are quite useful for holding necessities are located close to the hem. Due to these comforts and conveniences, both men and women in the Mekong Delta frequently wear Ao Ba Ba while going about their daily lives. They will prefer Ao Ba Ba in lighter shades like white and ash gray, especially for special events or celebratory occasions. To display their wealth, the noble class prefers the color of young, delicate blue with more expensive textiles like silk or satin.

Vietnamese traditional clothing - Ao Ba Ba has evolved over the years to match modern fashion trends while maintaining its core aesthetic. The latest version of the Ao Ba Ba for ladies has been meticulously stitched to surround the body and highlight the beautiful curves of a woman's form. Ao Ba Ba has maintained its fundamental style down the years while being updated to reflect current fashion trends. The new Ao Ba Ba for women has been narrowly stitched to envelop the body and highlight the lovely contours of women's bodies rather than being as straight and wide as it once was.

It's obvious that Ao Ba Ba is typically accompanied by a checkered scarf (also called bandana). While not sophisticated, this bandana can be brown or black and serve as a soft accent to the wearer's casual attire.

The Southern Vietnamese people's very special beauty and tenderness were made up of Ao Ba Ba, a conical hat, and a bandana.

VIETNAMESE TRADITIONAL CLOTHING OF ETHNIC GROUPS

Vietnamese traditional clothing is, generally speaking, highly varied. Other local ethnic groups have their own distinctive styles and costumes in addition to the most well-known ones of the main Kinh people group, as noted above. Vietnamese ethnic tribes' clothes can differ depending on their unique traits, however they all tend to have very vibrant and intricate repetitive patterns and a lot of clashing accessories.

Vietnamese Traditional Clothing Of Thai Ethnic Group

You will contact Thai ethnic communities when visiting Vietnam's northwest (Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh), and you will undoubtedly be fascinated by Thai women wearing their traditional costume, which consists of a form-fitting top and a long, black skirt. The blouse and skirt are connected with a textile belt that is either blue, green, or pink in color. The white blouse and black skirt look great together with the green color.

This Vietnamese traditional clothing is completed with a chic brocade headscarf (known locally as "Khan Phieu”) and a few pieces of silver jewelry, which elevate and demean the look. The white Thai traditionally wear a white blouse with a V-shaped collar, while the black Thai wear a black blouse with a high collar. Two rows of silver buttons, one with male butterfly-shaped buttons and the other with female butterfly-shaped buttons, are on the front of a shirt. Thai women who are married dress up their blouse shirt with an odd number of buttons, in contrast to Thai girls who wear an even number of buttons.

Vietnamese Traditional Clothing of the H’mong Ethnic Group 

About 1.2% of the population of the nation is made up of the H'mong hill tribe, which is also the eighth-largest minority ethnic group in Vietnam. They live in hilly regions in the north and west, including Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Son La. They are classified as Black, White, Blue, Red, and Flower H'mong depending on the color of their clothing.

The Vietnamese traditional clothing worn by H'mong women is quite fashionable and colorful, usually composed of linen with many accented colors and embroidered designs. A deep V-neck shirt, an overall with two square pieces covering the front and back, a large belt, a headscarf, leggings, and a truncated cone-shaped gathering skirt make up the entire ensemble. The women frequently use silver earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings to accessorize their handcrafted garments, which enhances their beauty and individuality. H'mong males dress in drain-pipe, lame-style trousers and a sleeveless shirt with a chest vent, four pockets, and four buttonholes.

Vietnamese Traditional Clothing Of The Cham Ethnic Group 

Long-time residents of central Vietnam's coast, the Cham, have a rich culture that has been heavily impacted by Indian culture. The Cham attire has a beautiful elegance of its own despite not being as vibrant as other garments in Vietnam.

Long one-piece sarongs or fabric wrappers are worn by both men and women. Women wear long-sleeved pullover blouses, while males wear shirts with buttons down the middle. The waistband is wrapped around the waist and fastened across the chest. It is the focal point of the outfit due to its intricate design and utilization of noticeable golden iridescent colors. On important occasions like the Kate New Year festival, the Ramuwan festival, marriages, and the celebration of females achieving adulthood, Cham women dress in colorful, lovely long dresses. The only option for going to church mass is the one that is white. The Cham walk gracefully and naturally because they wear dresses without split flaps. Since the head covering reflects the cultural element, it is difficult for outsiders to get to know Cham women since they are reserved and only use their eyes, lips, and cheeks to communicate. A greeting can be replaced with a kind nod or grin.

The contemporary Cham long dress still contains certain traditional elements, despite some changes throughout time. The dress appears great with two interlaced embroidered cotton belts, which highlight the wearer's body's alluring curves.

CONCLUSION

Vietnamese traditional clothing has been influenced by western fashion trends and replaced with more contemporary and functional looks, yet its charm and core elements have been preserved. Vietnamese people take great pride in their own culture and fashion sense. And the allure of this gorgeous nation continues to entice visitors.