Developing Ao Dai to become 'living material' for Ho Chi Minh City tourism

Nowadays, Ao Dai is not only a traditional costume but is gradually becoming a bridge between the past, present and future in the cultural development journey of Ho Chi Minh City. From a symbol of national culture, Ao Dai is being "revived" by experts, researchers and travel businesses by including it in experiential tours, contributing to creating a unique product for the tourism industry of the City named after Uncle Ho.

The Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival 2025 taking place from June 21, 22 and 28 is spreading many cultural values ​​about preserving and developing Ao Dai in the tourism industry.

Discovering Vietnamese soul through Ao Dai

At the seminar "Developing cultural discovery tours in Ho Chi Minh City" recently held at Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, many cultural and tourism managers and researchers discussed and shared solutions to "turn" Ao Dai into a new tourism product, opening tours to explore and experience the culture of wearing Ao Dai...

Ms. Anna Hanh Le, Acting President of the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Association, said that the ao dai is not simply a traditional costume but also contains cultural, historical, aesthetic stories and the feelings of many generations of Vietnamese people. “Each ao dai is a symbol of gratitude to the hard-working mother, the devoted aunt, the teacher, the independence fighters and the artisans who have preserved the national soul through every stitch,” said Ms. Anna Hanh Le.

Therefore, according to Ms. Anna Hanh Le, honoring and promoting the value of Ao Dai cannot stop at fashion shows or regular festivals. To preserve it for a long time, Ao Dai needs to "live" in contemporary life, associated with service industries, especially tourism - which creates opportunities for Ao Dai to be widely accessible to the international community and domestic people.

People and tourists freely wear Ao Dai at important cultural and tourism events in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Head of Communications Department of the Southern Women's Museum, said that turning Ao Dai into a tourism product is a direction full of potential. "In fact, many international tourists coming to Vietnam express their desire to try on Ao Dai. It is a natural curiosity and love for such an aesthetic and meaningful cultural symbol," Ms. Kim Oanh said.

Ms. Kim Oanh also added that at the Southern Women's Museum, the collections of ancient and modern Ao Dai are always a big attraction. If a tour connecting places such as the Women's Museum, the City Museum, traditional Ao Dai sewing workshops and streets bearing the ancient mark, where people used to wear Ao Dai as a daily routine, would not only help visitors understand more deeply about history, but also create conditions for the tourism industry to have a unique and different product.

From Ao Dai Festival to creative tourism products

The Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival in recent years has proven the appeal of this cultural symbol to domestic and foreign tourists. In 2025, the 11th Ao Dai Festival attracted nearly 3.6 million visitors, bringing in more than 19,000 billion VND in revenue for the Ho Chi Minh City tourism industry in March alone. A number that is enough to affirm the special position of the Ao Dai on the map of cultural and tourism events in the City.

According to tourism experts, to preserve the ao dai, it is necessary to first build and develop cultural tours focusing on the ao dai. For example, the tour “A day as a Vietnamese” (wearing the ao dai, learning to cook, wrapping cakes, writing calligraphy), “Saigon streets through the ao dai” (taking photos and walking at ancient landmarks), or “Memory sewing workshop” (visiting traditional tailor shops, ordering tailor-made clothes) are considered feasible and have great potential...

Vietnamese women wear ao dai to honor their beauty over time.

Mr. Huynh Quoc Thang, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said that organizing the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival, Ao Dai Cultural Festival... not only honors the beauty of culture but also opens up opportunities to promote Vietnamese tourism. Every Vietnamese person will feel proud when wearing the traditional Ao Dai. For tourists, wearing Ao Dai is both exciting and curious to experience and learn about Vietnamese culture. If travel companies and units focus on promotion, it will help Ao Dai become a living heritage, spreading strongly to the world.

According to the representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, to spread the Ao Dai to become a heritage spreading around the world, first of all, there needs to be inter-sectoral coordination, from tourism, culture to education and communication. In Ho Chi Minh City, hotels and accommodation establishments can be encouraged to include Ao Dai in their service experiences; build an "Ao Dai Street" in the center, where museums, design shops, and Ao Dai-themed photo spaces are concentrated.

Activities such as: regular Ao Dai performances, cultural festivals, Ao Dai design competitions for young people... will help Ao Dai come alive in modern life. In particular, campaigns to promote Vietnam's image to the world should choose Ao Dai as a symbol of identity and also need to invest in digitization, research on the history and changes of Ao Dai to serve tourists and the younger generation.

"In the strategy of developing sustainable and unique tourism, Ao Dai is a golden opportunity for the City to build a creative tourism product, connecting culture with experience. If integrated intelligently, Ao Dai will continue to be a source of pride and a "bird" bringing Vietnamese culture to the world," the representative added.

According to Tin Tuc newspaper

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/phat-trien-ao-dai-tro-thanh-chat-lieu-songcho-du-lich-tp-ho-chi-minh-20250624094245957.htm