The exhibition with the theme of Clouds in Ao Dai took place at a coffee shop on Hai Ba Trung Street, introducing 10 sets of Vietnamese costumes from the Le Trung Hung period (1533-1789), Tay Son dynasty (1778-1802) and Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), including costumes of kings, lords, mandarins and commoners.

Duong Hung Thinh, 22 years old, representative of the organizing committee, said that the event was organized by a group of more than 10 young people (the oldest is 25 years old) to promote the beauty of traditional costumes. Thinh said that the group relied on many sources of documents from the Le Trung Hung and Nguyen dynasties such as pictures and historical records to simulate the costumes and designs .

The most prominent is the royal robe and shoes of the king of the Later Le Dynasty. This was the clothing worn by the king in daily activities, not in formal court ceremonies.

The work is based on artifacts excavated in the tomb of King Le Du Tong (reigned 1705-1729) in 1958. This is a valuable document that helps accurately recreate the appearance of royal clothing during this period.

The replica shirt is made of taffeta fabric for easy printing and coloring. The king's shirt has a large dragon and smaller dragons on the shoulders, along with symbols of clouds, fire, and water waves. The five-clawed dragon represents the supreme authority of the emperor.

Next to it is the Trinh Lord's royal costume on display. During the Later Le Dynasty, although the Le King still held the position of Son of Heaven, the real power was in the hands of the Trinh Lord. This was not only reflected in the political structure but also in the system of clothing.

While King Le wore a royal robe, Lord Trinh wore a purple robe. The robe was designed with the Long Van Dai Hoi motif, with two large dragons on the chest and back, and smaller dragons on the shoulders. The back of the robe had two large wings, called Phu Hau wings, sewn on both sides, creating a majestic and imposing appearance. The motifs on Lord Trinh's robe were delicately designed to affirm his equal status with King Le.

The Trinh Lord's ceremonial costume also included Xung Thien - a type of hat commonly seen in feudal times. The hat was designed with a low forehead, gradually rising at the back, accompanied by two wings reaching up to the sky, meaning reaching high and affirming one's position as the name Xung Thien.

In Lich Trieu Hien Chuong Loai Chi , Phan Huy Chu recorded the costumes of the Le kings and Trinh lords during great ceremonies: "From the Trung Hung period onwards, during great ceremonies such as coronation, coronation, and promulgation of edicts, the emperor wore the Xung Thien hat, the yellow robe, and a jade belt. The lord, during great ceremonies such as the Giao ceremony, coronation, wore a purple robe, the Xung Thien hat, and a jade belt."

These records show that in important ceremonies, both King Le and Lord Trinh wore Xung Thien hats and jade belts, the difference was in the color of the robes.

Mr. Duong Hung Thinh (left) next to the costume of a princess during the Le Trung Hung period. The costume is made of taffeta fabric, a red shirt embroidered with a four-clawed dragon pattern with a glitter effect, combined with a traditional bib.

A valuable document about the clothing of noblewomen of this period is the costume excavated in the ancient tomb of Hoang Duc (Thanh Hoa) in 1957-1958. The owner of the tomb was the daughter of a powerful person in Dang Ngoai. Based on the existing documents, the group reconstructed the costume as a princess's costume.

The costume and hat of a mandarin during the Later Le Dynasty. The costume is a red shirt with a round neck, wide sleeves and a length reaching to the mid-calf.

On the collar is a dragonfly-wing hat (also called a sash hat), because it has two long wings spreading out behind. The origin of the sash hat dates back to the Tang Dynasty, was developed by the Ming Dynasty into a symbol of official authority, and was then passed on to Dai Viet. However, the Vietnamese have refined this type of hat to suit their local culture.

Multi-layered costume of a mandarin's wife during the Later Le Dynasty. The organizers said this costume was based on the painting Minh Nhan Phu Nhan (picture below).

Lady Minh Nhan's real name was Bui Thi Giac (1738-1805), from Thai Binh province. In 1804, a year before her death, her portrait was made. This painting is currently on display at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

The royal dress and belt of the Tay Son Dynasty (1778-1802) based on historical documents of Vietnam and China.

Another room displays Nguyen Dynasty clothing and jewelry. The highlight is the traditional five-panel dress.

The five-panel dress is a traditional costume of the Nguyen Dynasty, popular among the aristocracy, mandarins, intellectuals and the common people. The dress consists of four panels in the front and back and a panel inside. The dress has a standing collar, long sleeves, and some types of formal wear are wider. On the table are many types of jewelry such as bracelets, brooches, earrings, gold, hats... of women in the Nguyen Dynasty.

The five-panel dress used in ceremonies has wide sleeves, made of linen. The body of the dress is decorated with silver chains and gold bells.

Khau Cao Nhat Phuc, 22 years old, introduces the Nghe Thuong Vu Y costume that he recreated. This is the costume worn by male dancers during the Nguyen Dynasty when performing royal dances or important royal ceremonies. On the dancer's head, there is a crown with a golden lotus-shaped peak.

Phuc said the outfit was the result of three years of research and development. During that process, the author consulted more than 20 documents, studied 800 black and white photos, and went through many failures to complete it. Every detail on the shirt was also hand-embroidered and hand-sewn.

"I want to recreate this ancient singing costume as accurately and vividly as possible, thereby reviving a part of the ancient royal culture," Phuc said.

Phuc also brought an original Ao Ba Ba, dating from the early 20th century. The male student said this was his great-grandfather's outfit that Phuc's family has preserved to this day.

Ao ba ba is a traditional costume typical of the people of the Southern region. The shirt has two straight panels without deep slits, the buttons are usually fastened in the front with snap buttons or fabric buttons. The collar is usually round, the sleeves can be long or short depending on the needs of use.

The exhibition takes place from April 4 to 7, with admission fee of 120,000 VND per person, including drinks.

Quynh Tran