"Preserving the soul" of Vietnamese Ao Dai

Ms. Phan Thi Trinh is always diligently "keeping the soul" of the Vietnamese ao dai.

Rarely is there any outfit that is both discreet, standard, and also enhances the graceful, soft beauty of women like the Vietnamese ao dai. Through the ups and downs of history, the ao dai has become the soul of the nation, a cultural symbol that cannot be mixed with any other culture... Passionate about ao dai since childhood, Ms. Phan Diem Trinh always dreamed of becoming a skilled ao dai tailor. However, to realize her dream, it was really not easy because Ms. Trinh's family was very poor in the past. Ms. Trinh confided: "At the age of 17, to have money for Ms. Trinh to learn sewing, the whole family including her mother and brothers had to save and accumulate so that Ms. Trinh had the opportunity to learn sewing."

And up to now, after more than 20 years of diligence and dedication to the profession, Ms. Trinh's ao dai sewing skills have always been highly appreciated by customers and known by many people. Ao dai measured and sewn by Ms. Trinh's hands always preserve the traditional features as well as the "soul" of the Vietnamese ao dai. Although she has been in the profession for quite a long time, whenever mentioning ao dai, Ms. Trinh's eyes always shine with happiness and enthusiasm. She always aspires to make the ao dai, once cut and sewn, beautiful and satisfy all her customers.

Ms. Bui Thi Minh Loan - Ms. Trinh's customer shared: "I have been making Ao Dai at Ms. Trinh's shop for more than 8 years and I feel very satisfied because every Ao Dai that Ms. Trinh makes has a very beautiful shape, fits well and is sharp in every stitch, making the wearer and the viewer feel many emotions."

Unlike Japanese Kimono, Korean Hanbok or Sari - the traditional costume of Indian women, Ao Dai does not take much time to wear, is simple, neat but still graceful and extremely elegant. At first glance, the Vietnamese national costume does not seem as sophisticated as many other countries, but in fact, Ao Dai is the result of the skillful, skillful craftsmanship and perseverance of the tailor. The traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai has extremely strict standards, in order to show the most delicate features, from the choice of sewing style, color, fabric, to decorative motifs, embroidery... Therefore, it requires the tailor to always be delicate and creative but absolutely must keep the "soul" and lines of the traditional Ao Dai. And Ms. Trinh is one of the tailors who has done that.

Guests wear ao dai made by Ms. Trinh

Every year, to support poor female students to have pure white ao dai to go to school, Ms. Phan Diem Trinh has given many disadvantaged female students ao dai with deep love and the hope that they will have more motivation to excel in their studies. Being good at her job, Ms. Trinh has trained many students over the years and many of them have now become skilled tailors. And they all always love and respect Ms. Trinh.

Guests wear Ao Dai made by Ms. Trinh on the occasion of "Tet coming Spring coming"

After completing the ao dai, Ms. Trinh also regularly organizes photo shoots for customers so that they have the opportunity to preserve the most beautiful images with the Vietnamese ao dai. The image of girls wearing beautiful ao dai walking down the street, especially during the New Year, makes people who see and watch love the ao dai - the traditional costume of the Vietnamese people even more.

Nowadays, the ao dai has become the pride of the Vietnamese people, accompanying Vietnamese beauty in international beauty contests. The gentle, elegant beauty of the ao dai has honored the beauty not only of Vietnamese women, but also of a nation with a unique cultural identity. And ao dai tailors like Ms. Trinh are the ones who always work hard to "keep the soul" of the Vietnamese ao dai.

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