Vietnamese outfits Áo Dài and Áo Yếm

Áo Dài (approximate pronunciation: [ao zai:] is the national dress of Vietnamese girls and women. It consists of a knee-length or ankle-length, hip-length slit silk dress on both sides, under which are worn long, often slit-length, white silk pants.

Compared to Vietnam's long history, Áo Dài is still very young. Until the mid-18th century, Vietnamese women still wore long skirts, but never pants. In 1744, King Vũ Vương ordered a change in dress style, based basically on Chinese patterns. Button-up outer garments and pants replaced skirts. Minh Mạng, the second king of the Nguyễn dynasty, who reigned from 1820 to 1841, went even further, namely ordering all women, from the northern reaches of Vietnam to the southern reaches, to wear pants.

In the 1930s, efforts were made to somehow modernize women's attire. After many attempts and changes, the Áo Dài we know today was created.

The white Áo Dài is the school attire of middle school girls, i.e. female students in grades 10-12, throughout the country.

The Áo Dài is worn by girls and women on holidays and special occasions. For many (e.g., those working in tourism) it is an everyday work outfit. Then naturally colorful. Every woman has many Áo Dài in her closet in different colors.

There are also Áo Dài variants for men, but today they are seen only during special ceremonies, to emphasize respect for the country's traditions.

Áo Yếm - a beautiful tradition that is being revived

Graceful women and girls in the national costume of Áo Dài are a symbol of Vietnam. In addition to the Áo Dài, there is another indispensable piece of clothing for women. It is the Áo Yếm, which is the upper part of a woman's garment, without a back, held up by a narrow neck band, often - but not exclusively - worn as underwear. The prototype originated in China and is called dù dōu ( 肚兜 ) there.

Until the early 20th century, Yếm was worn by women and girls of all classes and strata. For everyday wear, brown Yếm was usually worn in the countryside and white in the cities. Different colored ones were dressed for holidays, celebrations and special occasions.

Áo Yếm was and still is a symbol of femininity and love. It emphasizes the beauty of Vietnamese women. When the Western bra was pushed in modern Vietnam, the Áo Yếm became somewhat forgotten. Fortunately, thanks to young designers, Áo Yếm is re-entering women's fashion and becoming more and more popular. It is very sexy and charming at the same time. It is suitable for any occasion, especially on hot days.

Stanislaw Kozlowski "Nations of Vietnam": http://moznaprzeczytac.pl/narody-wietnamu-stanislaw-kozlowski