Vietnamese Girl in Ao Dai

The ao dai is the Vietnamese traditional costume, commonly worn by women but also worn by men (George W Bush and Vladimir Putin wearing the ao dai can be seen here).

Today western clothes are prevalent, so a girl gracefully riding a bicycle in an ao dai is a rare sight, specially in Ho Chi Minh City where motorcycles dominate the road. But the ao dai remains the standard costume for weddings and big events like Tet holiday celebrations.

Incidentally, celebrations for the Vietnamese New Year (Tet holiday) start this week. It’s the most important festival in Vietnam.

As they say in Vietnamese, Năm mới dồi dào sức khỏe! (I wish you a healthy new year!) and Năm mới tấn tài tấn lộc! (I wish you a wealthy new year!)

May all your wishes come true! Vạn sự như ý!

Graceful