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With a passion for learning about culture and history, Vu Duc (29 years old, Hanoi) - the founder of Great Vietnam - is a team of young people who share a passion for researching and providing solutions about traditional Vietnamese clothing.
Great Vietnam focuses on researching and restoring traditional Vietnamese clothing from hundreds of years ago.
The story begins with a passion for history.
Starting from humble beginnings as individuals with no prior experience, but driven by a love for traditional culture, this group of young people came together to pursue their dream of accurately recreating the beauty of Vietnamese traditional costumes. Founded in 2019 and officially operational in 2020, Great Vietnam focuses on researching and restoring Vietnamese clothing from hundreds of years ago.
Vu Duc shared with Travellive: “The inspiration for me and Great Vietnam to recreate traditional costumes comes from a special interest in the culture of court and scholarly attire, along with the realization that our ancestors' clothing still has many aspects that we can contribute to improving.”
Each type of clothing has its own distinctive characteristics, which allow us to differentiate their styles and names.
When it comes to traditional Vietnamese clothing, many people immediately think of the image of the ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress). However, Vietnamese traditional clothing is a treasure trove with many different types of garments. Throughout each feudal dynasty in history, we have had costumes that deeply reflect the cultural identity of the nation in each period. "Traditional Vietnamese clothing has many styles, however, due to some historical factors, we have forgotten quite a few forms. This is a disadvantage for Vietnamese traditional clothing compared to other countries in the region," Duc confided.
Each type of traditional clothing has its own distinctive characteristics, allowing us to differentiate its style and name. In ceremonial events, traditional clothing includes types such as court attire, ceremonial attire, everyday attire, and casual attire… If classified by collar, there are: overlapping collar, straight collar, standing collar…; by hem, there are: double-breasted robe, large-breasted robe…; or by body type, there are: four-panel robe, five-panel robe…
Traditional Vietnamese clothing is a treasure trove with many different types of costumes.
Throughout history, each feudal dynasty has given us costumes that reflect the distinct cultural identity of our nation during that period.
Furthermore, there were subtle differences between dynasties. For example, the Nguyen dynasty favored the five-panel áo ngũ thân (a type of traditional Vietnamese tunic) – the precursor to the modernized áo dài we often see today. This type of tunic was quite simple, with four main panels and one auxiliary panel, a standing collar, buttons on the right side, narrow sleeves, and was worn with a white undershirt and long trousers.
On the path to reconstructing details in traditional costumes, finding sources of cultural and historical information in Vietnam remains challenging. “In our country, the field of research on traditional costumes has not yet been established, therefore there is a lack of experts or parties capable of recording and updating new research in the last 10 years. Young people are alone on this journey, leading to a series of major obstacles in accessing materials, applying art, media, education, etc.,” Duc shared.
Recreating a complete, authentic traditional costume requires many steps. After obtaining a unified design, Great Vietnam will print the fabric and sew it into a real sample. For embroidered garments and headwear accessories, they will be sent to artisans in traditional craft villages for production. Regarding materials, the young people also seek out traditional craft villages such as Van Phuc, La Khe, Buoi, Nha Xa, Nam Cao, Ma Chau, and Tan Chau…
For each costume design posted on the fan page, the group always includes accompanying documentation so that the public can understand and learn about Vietnamese traditional clothing in the most complete way. “Our mission from the beginning has been to correct inaccuracies or shortcomings in official information about Vietnamese clothing. This is a demanding job that requires a lot of time and support; it cannot be done overnight,” added Duc.
When posting on their fan page, the group always includes supporting materials so that the public can understand and learn about Vietnamese traditional clothing in the most comprehensive way possible.
Promoting Vietnamese traditional clothing in modern life.
Great Vietnam is increasingly establishing its reputation and becoming well-known among young people. The brand actively participates in significant events, such as the "Essence of Vietnam" live performance project at Grand World Phu Quoc (2021); the "Grand Court Attire - Officials" project (2021-2023); the "Dan Thanh Photo Spotlight" - "Revive the Timeless" project (2021); the book project "Weaving a Dynasty" (reprinted 2022); the "Nhat Binh Y" project (2022), and the "Court Attire - Royal" project (2023-2024)...
In addition, Great Vietnam has also contributed to events celebrating culture, creativity, and traditional costumes such as: the "The Resplendent Vestiges"/"Golden Legacy" exhibition in Sydney, Australia (2019); the "Vietnamme Talk 01 - Passive" art exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City (2019); the Hanoi "X" creative fair and the "Vietnamese People Drawing Vietnamese Traditional Costumes" workshop in Hanoi (2020); the "Green Hair, Blue Shirt" traditional costume festival in Ho Chi Minh City (2021); the "Vietnam Summer Fair" cultural industry festival in Hue (2022); the "Hundred Flowers Walking" traditional costume festival in Hanoi (2022); and the "Essence and Integration" cultural festival at the National University Urban Area in Ho Chi Minh City (2023)...
Participating in numerous events has helped to bring the name of Great Vietnam in particular, and Vietnamese traditional costumes in general, to a wider audience among young people.
Participating in numerous events has contributed to making the name of Great Vietnam in particular, and Vietnamese traditional clothing in general, more widely known among young people. It's evident that society and young people today are increasingly interested in traditional clothing. Many young people have chosen traditional attire for holidays, wedding photos, graduation photos, etc. This shows encouraging signs of the demand for learning about and appreciating the beauty of what is considered old-fashioned and classic.
In the future, the Great Vietnam team will continue its journey of recreating the appearance of costumes (from complex to simple, from the most recent dynasties to more distant ones), helping to enrich this database and fill the gaps in Vietnamese traditional clothing. "The team only hopes to contribute to accelerating this long and arduous journey of traditional clothing, given that it started too late," said Duc.
Many young people have chosen to wear traditional costumes for holidays, wedding photos, graduation photos, and other occasions.
In the context of a developing society, restoring, preserving, and spreading the traditional cultural values of the nation is extremely important. Bringing traditional Vietnamese costumes back into modern life, giving them their own role and vitality, is the most effective method of preservation. Success in preserving traditional costumes will contribute to the preservation of national culture and the development of the fashion industry with a distinct Vietnamese identity.
Sharing further with Travellive readers, Mr. Duc conveyed the message: "I hope that those working in culture and arts will pay more attention to and value traditional costumes, and not misunderstand or belittle the story of our ethnic costumes."
