Chapter 1: Portraits Of Áo Dài
(365 Days With Project “Portraits Of Áo Dài- Hope For Peace And Love”)
PORTRAITS OF ÁO DÀI: I was born in a small rural town in the Southeast region of Vietnam (Lang Dai, Dat Do, Ba Ria- Vung Tau). The serene landscape, decorated with forests, ponds, and rivers, is hauntingly carved into my mind. Although it was a period of economic hardships, the years of my childhood were a cozy wholeness of innumerable sentimental values nurtured by nature, and by the songs and the stories of my mother, my grandmother, and my sister.
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Until now, along with the image of Áo Dài, my childhood memories have always been a flickering treasure in my artistic journey: from grandma’s folding paper fan, my mother’s nursery rhyme, a goldfish in a red tank of my sister to a snake slithering in a lotus pond and a procession of sparkling lanterns at Mid-autumn Festival, and many more I can’t possibly name.
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Therefore, instead of re-enacting historical records about the time-honored development of Áo Dài, I thought of combining Vietnamese traditional and folklore elements with a system of vibrant colors of mysterious layers and traditional materials, applying them to áo dài for my very own Portraits of Áo Dài. Upon the design of Áo Dài, I will choose the one with split-side, long sleeves, with or without a collar, because it is the most familiar and the dearest to my heart: it is the Áo Dài that urges me to take you with me on this unique spiritual journey to the world of my subconscious.
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About: 365 Days with project “Portraits Of Áo Dài- Hope For Peace And Love”
One day I was asked by many foreign friends about Áo Dài, but unfortunately, I haven’t taken many pictures of Áo Dài. Áo Dài is a special traditional dress of my country- Viet Nam
For me, Áo Dài is both an adjective and a noun. Áo Dài just evokes rustic, simple, seductive Vietnamese women and contains many memories.
Vietnamese Áo Dài is not only a kind of national dress but also contains a rich history, cultural traditions, aesthetic conceptions, national consciousness, and spirit of the Vietnamese people.
Through many changes in society and times, Áo Dài has always been a beautiful symbol of the national culture, and the pride of Vietnamese people.
The models in this photo series are mostly my friends in many different fields, they are not professional models and do not have the usual beauty of Asian models, there are people who are for the first time standing in front of the camera lens.
Thanks for watching!
