Previously, on August 9, 2024, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a Decision to officially register the national intangible cultural heritage with the name “Knowledge of Sewing and Wearing Hue Ao Dai”.

   At the ceremony, Mr. Phan Thanh Hai - Director of the Department of Culture and Sports introduced the history of Ao Dai.

   Over the course of more than 300 years of history, generations of Hue artisans have accumulated a lot of knowledge about sewing and wearing Ao Dai, which clearly symbolizes the aesthetic, moral and ethical standards of society. Entering the modern era, Hue Ao Dai is still used by many people, most commonly students, civil servants, middle-aged and elderly people, women doing small business in shops, markets...

   Besides the traditional elegant and graceful beauty, the Ao Dai also reminds the wearer of human morality, reminds every Hue citizen to cherish, respect, and preserve the precious traditional values ​​left by their ancestors, continue to promote and enhance good values ​​to pass on to the future.

   In Hue, the Ao Dai has become a familiar, beloved image, entering life, closely associated with culture and customs, appearing in all ritual activities, festivals and even in daily life in the ancient capital. It is also an endless source of inspiration for poetry, songs, music, paintings, becoming a symbol of Hue women. When mentioning Hue, people immediately think of the capital associated with many diverse festival activities, along with the image of traditional, rich and graceful Ao Dai.

   Hue Ao Dai tailoring shops are mainly concentrated in Gia Hoi - Cho Dinh, Kim Long, Vi Da, Phu Cam... These are areas with long-standing historical and cultural traditions, densely populated and home to families and clans with a tradition of tailoring Hue Ao Dai. Today, the tradition of tailoring and wearing Ao Dai is enhanced and embellished by famous Hue Ao Dai designers and tailors. The technical steps of cutting, sewing, threading, and making buttons are all carefully taken care of by artisans and Ao Dai tailors. The Ao Dai is not simply a garment but a work of art, containing the value of Hue's cultural identity.

   The first Ao Dai festival was held during the Hue Festival 2002. Hue was proud to be the first locality in Vietnam to hold a festival to honor the beauty of Ao Dai. Since then, Ao Dai festivals have been held continuously and regularly, not only during festivals.

   Thanks to that, the public has known more about the beauty of Ao Dai, Hue Ao Dai has also been in high demand, and the number of customers coming to have Ao Dai made quickly has increased dramatically. Hue Ao Dai is a synthesis of the fields of weaving, sewing, embroidery, painting, design, and fashion. It is truly a cultural product, aiming to be a cultural industrial product to serve tourism.

   The head of the provincial cultural sector also said that the project “Hue - Capital of Vietnamese Ao Dai” with many rich contents has been implemented recently. Subsequently, the Provincial People's Committee issued a decision approving this project, creating a legal basis for the effective implementation of activities to promote and honor Hue Ao Dai, promote economic and tourism development, affirm Hue Ao Dai in the international community, aiming to develop the brand Hue - Capital of Ao Dai.

 

Proposal to develop a dossier to submit to UNESCO for consideration of inscription as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity    Currently, Thua Thien Hue is promoting the sustainable development of the cultural industry. Designing and tailoring ao dai is both a handicraft and a special creative design industry, creating impressive and highly popular products. Not to mention the many types of accessories and jewelry that go with the ao dai. In addition, the ao dai cultural industry also creates conditions for the development of other industries such as the production of souvenirs, toys, accessories, cinema, fine arts, etc. This is the direction for the development of the cultural industry, serving domestic and export needs, creating jobs, bringing revenue to businesses, increasing income for people, while preserving and spreading the values ​​imbued with Hue's cultural identity.    It can be said that developing the Hue Ao Dai brand abroad is not only a business but also the most effective channel to promote traditional culture. “In the coming time, Thua Thien Hue will continue to make efforts and determination to preserve, promote and further spread the value of Ao Dai in contemporary life. At the same time, it will propose to the provincial leaders and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to allow the construction of a scientific dossier "Knowledge of sewing and wearing Hue Ao Dai" to submit to UNESCO for consideration of recognition as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity".