For Everybody

A lasting impression for any visitor to Vietnam is the beauty of the women dressed in their ao dais. Girls dressed in white pick their way through muddy streets going home from school or sail by in a graceful chatter on their bikes. Secretaries in delicate pastels greet you at an office door and older ladies in deep shades of purple, green or blue cut a striking pose eating dinner at a restaurant. The ao dai appears to flatter every figure. Its body-hugging top flows over wide trousers that brush the floor. Splits in the gown extend well above waist height and make it comfortable and easy to move in. Although virtually the whole body is swathed in soft flowing fabric, these splits give the odd glimpse of a bare midriff, making the outfit very sensual. Rapidly becoming the national costume for ladies, its development is actually very short compared to the country's history.

Pronounced 'ao yai' in the south, but 'ao zai' in the north, the color is indicative of the wearer's age and status. Young girls wear pure white, fully lined outfits symbolizing their purity. As they grow older but are still unmarried they move into soft pastel shades. Only married women wear gowns in strong, rich colors, usually over white or black pants. The ao dai has always been more prevalent in the south than the north, but austerity drives after 1975 meant it was rarely anywhere seen for a number of years as it was considered an excess not appropriate for hard work. The nineties have seen a resurgence in the ao dai's popularity. "It has become standard attire for many office workers and hotel staff as well as now being the preferred dress for more formal occasions," says Huong, a secretary for a foreign company. "I feel proud of my heritage when I wear it." For visitors, the pink and blue of the Vietnam Airlines uniform creates a lasting memory as they travel.

Early versions of the ao dai date back to 1744 when Lord Vu Vuong of the Nguyen Dynasty decreed both men and women should wear an ensemble of trousers and a gown that buttoned down the front. It was not until 1930 that the ao dai as we know it really appeared. Vietnamese fashion designer and writer Cat Tuong, or as the French knew him, Monsieur Le Mur, lengthened the top so it reached the floor, fitted the bodice to the curves of the body and moved the buttons from the front to an opening along the shoulder and side seam. Men wore it less, generally only on ceremonial occasions such as at weddings or funerals. But it took another twenty years before the next major design change was incorporated and the modern ao dai emerged. During the 1950s two tailors in Saigon, Tran Kim of Thiet Lap Tailors and Dung of Dung Tailors, started producing the gowns with raglan sleeves. This creates a diagonal seam running from the collar to the underarm and today, this style is still preferred.

Its popularity is also spreading well beyond Vietnam's borders. For years Vietnamese immigrants preferred to adopt Western dress and blend with their new community but now the ao dai is seeing a revival amongst overseas Vietnamese. At least here in the United States this may be partly due to the arrival of Tram Kim, known as Mr. Ao dai. He shifted to California in 1982 and opened a new branch of Thiet Lap Tailors in Garden Grove, Orange County, leaving his Saigon store to his son. There are even annual Miss Ao dai pageants held and the prestigious Long Beach show attracts entrants from across the country. The clothing has also inspired French designers including top names such as Christian Lacroix and Claude Montana, and variations of the tight sleeves, fitted bodice, high collar and flowing trousers have been seen on the catwalks of Europe.

Every ao dai is custom made, accounting for the fit that creates such a flattering look. Stores specialize in their production and a team of cutters, sewers and fitters ensure that the final product will highlight the figure of the wearer. Thuy, a fitter in Ho Chi Minh City, says, "To create the perfect fit, customers take their undergarments and shoes with them for the fittings." The pants should reach the soles of the feet and flow along the floor.

Comfort has not been forgotten at the expense of fashion and beauty. The cut allows the wearer freedom of movement and despite covering the whole body, it is cool to wear. Synthetic fabrics are preferred as they do not crush and are quick drying, making the ao dai a practical uniform for daily wear.

Its popularity may be its undoing as the garment is now being mass produced to make it more available and cheaper. The gown length appears to be gradually shortening and today is usually just below the knee. Variations in the neck, between boat and mandarin style, are common and even adventurous alterations such as a low scooped neckline, puffed sleeves or off the shoulder designs are appearing as ladies experiment with fashion. Colors are no longer as rigidly controlled and access to new fabrics has created some dazzling results. But most visitors to Vietnam agree that the tailors already have the perfect cut. It is hard to think of a more elegant, demure and yet sexy outfit, that suits Vietnamese women of all ages, than the ao dai.

        Tet, in Vietnamese language, symbolizes the very first morning of the new year in Vietnam and is popularly known as the Vietnamese New Year. Also known by the name of Nguyen-Dan, its celebrations lasts for about 7 days.The celebrations of the Vietnamese New Year involves a lot of excitement and enthusiasm and is it is regarded as one of the most popular festivals of the year among the Vietnam people. The happiness associated with Vietnamese New Year can be attributed to the fact that this particular festival brings along one of the most desired break in the agricultural year for the Vietnamese people.
         As Vietnamese New Year celebrations fall between the period of crop harvesting and the sowing of the new crops, people get much time and opportunity to celebrate this festival of new hopes with much fervor.As far as the preparation for Vietnamese New Year goes, that start days and weeks before the New Year's Day. People start cleaning and decorating their homes with a belief that by doing so they would be getting rid of bad fortune and bad memories, which were associated with the previous year.

        People all over Vietnam buy new clothes as well as new shoes and try their best to pay off their debts and even try to resolve the differences among the family members and friends.
        The New Year's Eve is celebrated with a special ceremony by the name of Le Tru Tich, at the midnight hour. The ceremony is initiated with firecrackers and gongs in order to bid goodbye to the previous year and welcome the New Year with loud happy noises.Just like the Chinese, the Vietnamese people are also very much particular about what they do on New Year's Day, as they believe that the events and actions performed on Vietnamese New Year's Day determines a person's luck and fortune for the rest of the year to come. Thus they try to be in touch only with those things, which represent good fortune. People who are in mourning are avoided on this particular day, as they are associated with death. Children are told not fight or even cry on Vietnamese New Year's Day and the homes are adorned with Hoa Mai, which is a yellow blossom that represents the season of spring and happiness.

        New Year gifts are exchanged among the family members and friends and homage is paid to the Kitchen God. The custom associated with the kitchen God tao is also observed in every Vietnamese household for a week before the Vietnamese New Year. Vietnamese people are of the belief that there exist three gods for them, who are duly represented by the three legs of the cooking equipment as used in the kitchen and thus kitchen in the house is the perfect place for these Gods. The middle God is a woman, while the other two are her husbands.

        In the ancient times, it was once a custom to provide a carp to the Gods on which they can travel. The carp basically symbolizes the second last stage of the process through which the animals were slowly and gradually transformed into dragons. People used to buy these carp from the market. They used to place it in a bucket of water and used to place the bucket at the altar of the house and in due time it was set free. The people also make it a point to visit local temples on this day in order to pray for God's blessings for prosperity and good health.The Vietnamese families are known to plant a New Year's tree in front of their homes by the name of Cay Neu at the time of Vietnamese New Year. A bamboo pole is used for this purpose. People remove all the leaves from the tree so that it can be wrapped or ornamented with good luck red colored paper. According to famous legends in the Vietnamese culture, the red color scares off evil spirits. The Cay Neu is taken down on the seventh and the last day of Tet. This is the last ritual, which brings an end to the New Year celebrations.

        The Vietnamese New Year cuisine includes a special rice pudding, which needs to be prepared beforehand. The rice pudding is given the name of banh chung or banh tet. The main ingredients of this pudding are mung beans and pork. Some other famous New Year foods are preserved sweets, beef, chicken, fish, oranges, coconuts, grapefruits and other seasonal fruits, especially watermelon. Watermelon holds much importance, as its flesh is red in color and hence the melon is considered to be lucky. The seeds of the watermelon are often dyed red also and served as delicacies along with other food items. The middle of the day observes an offering on the altar of the household for the ancestor's of the family by the family members. The offerings are accompanied with burning of incense at the altar. The Vietnamese people are of the belief that the first person to go through the door on the Vietnamese New Year will replicate the family's future luck and wealth.
        The first day of the Vietnamese New Year is reserved for visits to all the closest friends, teachers and parents, while on the second day people visit their in-laws and other acquaintances who are not as close. The third day is observed as the day of visiting the family of the teacher and more distant relatives. The spirits return to heaven on the fourth day of the Vietnamese New Year and business in the Vietnamese household returns to normal. People also make visits to the local temple on this particular day in order to bring back the flowers or greenery as a form of gift from the celestial spirits.

        Wishes the Vietnamese on all over the world have a good spring, safety - healthy - happiness - success!

Located in Dakao, first district, the temple was built by Cantonese Buddhists who settled in Saigon in the 19th century. The architectural style is heavily influenced by the Chinese of southern China.

The Taoist deity (Emperor of Jade) is enshrined here along with his 4 guardians (Tu Dai Kim Cuong). The major attractions to the shrine are the elaborate carvings of the various deities as well as its unique architectural style of the interior. This temple is also home to the Hall of Ten Hells where there are carvings of various scenes of the various levels of hell.