More than 100 young people donning Vietnamese traditional costumes in ancient styles gathered in a pedestrian area surrounding the iconic Ho Guom (Sword Lake) in Hanoi on Saturday in response to the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2023 during this weekend, exciting many foreigners.

The event, held by young people keen on Vietnamese traditional costumes, featured nhat binh, which literally means square-collared garb; ngu than, a five-paneled aristocratic gown from the 19th and early-20th centuries; and ao dai (Vietnam's traditional long gown); among others as well as Vietnamese traditional hats.

Young people in strange-looking and colorful traditional outfits impressed many foreign tourists.

Many foreigners used their smartphones or cameras to take photos of the event imbued with Vietnamese culture.

Nguyen Nga, 23, a member of the organizing board of the event, said they wanted to popularize Vietnamese traditional costumes to the public.

Ao dai is popular but many people are not familiar to other kinds of traditional costumes, which are also the country’s traditional values, Nga added.

While taking a stroll in Hanoi, Daniel, a British tourist, was overwhelmed as this was the first time he had seen so many Vietnamese traditional costumes.

“At first, I stopped and took photos [of them] as I was curious why many people donned beautiful outfits but I later knew that they are Vietnamese traditional costumes thanks to Vietnamese friends’ explanations," Daniel.

“I was expressed by these costumes. I love Vietnam’s ao dai."

Donning an ao dai to the Hanoi Tourism Ao Dai Festival 2023, Pham Thi Hien, a 76-year-old Hanoi resident, hailed young people for studying and reviving traditional costumes, adding that “I am a Hanoian, so I wear ao dai in all festivals."

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