Le Thi Dinh is the last royal maid of the Nguyen Dynasty. She still wears her ao dai proudly, like when she served the royal family. Her ao dai from the early 20th century is composed of 5 pieces. A small piece called "con", represents the wearer, while the 4 pieces at the front and the back represent the parents.
"On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everybody sets out to greet relatives and offer their new year wishes. Every family member must go. And everybody wears ao dai. Normally we wore green, red and purple. Royal maids could wear any colour except yellow", said Le Thi Dinh, Hue City.
In 40s and 50s, the image of the ao dai was associated with the beauty of southern women, from students to housewives and small traders in the markets.
Minh Hanh, Fashion designer said: We wore white ao dai all year round. Festivals were the time for colourful ao dai. The styles changed year after year. We had newly-tailored ao dai during the new year period. In my opinion, this is the costume for Vietnamese women.
In recent years, ao dais have experienced a renaissance through the use of varied materials and styles. More young women have fallen in love with the long dress and have chosen it to represent their personalities.
