(VOVworld) - The Hanoi Ao dai Festival 2016 opened at Thang Long Imperial Citadel on Friday to honour Hanoi’s cultural values and promote fashion-based tourism products. National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attended the program.

Themed “The Quintessence of Vietnam’s Ao Dai”, the 3-day festival will include exhibitions, art and cultural activities featuring the beauty of the  traditional Vietnamese dress. Workshops on preserving the Ao dai’s traditional values will also be held during the event. 
Collection of past and present Ao dai will be displayed along with materials and old looms used to make the traditional costume at an exhibition entitled “Hanoi’s Ao dai Festival”. This year’s event highlights the grace of Hanoi’s Ao dai which reflects Thang Long’s traditional features. Designer Duyen Huong:“I have several documents about Hanoi in the 1940s where black, brown and while dominated daily costumes. I try to restore those colors in my collections with races of the 21^st century fashion to combine old and new characters of life.”