The 7th Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Festival kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Museum of Vietnamese History on Sunday, aiming to promote the love for Vietnam's traditional costume as well as the country's tourism industry.

This is the first in a series of events planned for the 'Hello Ho Chi Minh City' campaign meant to recover the tourism industry from the impacts of COVID-19.

This year’s version of the annual ‘ao dai’ festival, which was organized for the first time in 2014 to celebrate Vietnam’s traditional clothing, has been delayed since March due to the pandemic.

At the opening night on Sunday, 14 designers showcased 500 new ‘ao dai’ from 15 collections with three themes - 'The Quintessence of Vietnam,' 'Journey of Heritage,' and 'The Convergence of Hues.'

The designs were donned by many artists, who were selected as the festival’s image ambassadors, and more than 100 professional models and kid models.

Speaking at the event, Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong emphasized the importance of preserving and promoting the traditional beauty of ‘ao dai.’

“I hope that after the festival, ‘ao dai’ will continue being an endless inspiration in literature and art and become a frequently chosen costume of Ho Chi Minh City people and international visitors when coming to Vietnam, contributing to preserving, promoting, and advertising the essence of Vietnamese culture to international friends,” Phong said.

Many interesting activities after the opening night, including a series of inspirational activities about 'ao dai' at famous tourist destinations in the city, an online video production contest, a lullaby competition, and a workshop themed ‘Ao Dai Cultural Heritage,’ will take place until November 20.

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