Vietnamese ao dai collections featuring maps of the East Vietnam Sea designed by a local couturier will be showcased at two events promoting Vietnamese culture in Europe this month.

Three ao dai (traditional Vietnamese gown) collections, designed by fashion designer Thuan Viet, will be displayed at the “Vietnamese Days in France” event which is being held from June 23 to June 27 and “Vietnamese Days in Belgium,” which will take place from June 28 to July 1.

Sharing on his Facebook page, the Vietnamese designer posted a photo of an ancient Vietnamese map and wrote a status that read: “Besides promoting Vietnamese culture through ao dai, I also aim at delivering the message of hope for peace and asserting the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands. There were sleepless and thoughtful nights!”

Support for Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas and islands

After nearly 300 likes, a lot of comments on the status and strong support from his friends, Viet felt that he should design a sea and island-inspired ao dai collection which could provide the international community with proof of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

In just one month, Viet completed his three new ao dai collections, including “Lyon Roses,” which is being displayed within the framework of the “Vietnamese Days in France” in Lyon, “Graceful Vietnam,” decorated with four Vietnamese symbols such as apricots, orchids, daisies and bamboo, and “Hope for Peace.”

“Two of the collections are made of Vietnamese silk and employ a traditional hand-sewing technique, one of the Thuan Viet brand strengths, so we finished those quicker than the third one,” the Vietnamese designer said.

Viet asserted that he wanted to reconfirm the Vietnamese people's hope for peace through his third collection. “That is the desire of not only Vietnamese but also people all over the world,” he added.

Viet’s “Hope for Peace” collection includes a total of 12 pieces, in which six ao dai feature 3D techniques as well as hand-drawn pictures of ocean waves and pigeons, proving the gentleness of the Vietnamese people, while the other six dresses display the Vietnamese map.

The reunion of Vietnamese maps

“The first difficulty was finding the exact maps. I spent a lot of time asking my friends and researching on the Internet and in the library. It was like a deadlock, as I could not find qualified and truthful photos which could be printed on the silk,” Viet said.

“Fortunately, I heard about the release ceremony of Vietnamese researcher Nguyen Dinh Dau’s book entitled ‘Vietnam’s Sovereignty over the East Vietnam Sea and Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelagos’ at the Ho Chi Minh City General Sciences Library and went there immediately,” the designer continued to tell his story.

Besides buying books and taking photos of over 94 documentary maps exhibited at the library, which were still unable to please him, Viet also connected with Tran Thang, chairman of the U.S.-based Institute for Vietnamese Culture and Education.

Thang, an overseas Vietnamese in the U.S., donated to the central province of Da Nang 43 ancient maps and a book entitled “The Postal Atlas of China,” published by China in Nanjing in 1919, in which Hoang Sa and Truong Sa lie in the territorial sea of Vietnam.

“Thang exclaimed that showing the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago on ao dai is a great idea and he enthusiastically supported me by giving me high-resolution images of ancient Vietnamese maps,” Viet said of his chance to meet the map donor.

Viet said he believes that fashion always associates with the events in one’s daily life and the idea of printing Vietnam’s seas and islands on ao dai could be done by anyone as it would help promote Vietnam’s people and its territorial sovereignty.