IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT “AO DAI HERITAGE – THE CULTURE OF LOVE”
On the morning of September 21, 2022, Do Dinh Hong, Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports had a meeting with Michele D’Ercole – President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICham) on promoting and introducing the image of Vietnamese ao dai.
The image of the meeting
At the meeting, Mr. Do Dinh Hong discussed with Mr. Michele D’Ercole about the activities and events that Hanoi city implements the initiatives to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. Accordingly, fashion, one of the potential areas of the capital, will be focused on investment and development. A very special product in this field is the ao dai. Hanoi has a Ao Dai craft village, Ao Dai craft street. Ao Dai is not only an outfit but also has become a beautiful cultural feature in the life of Hanoi people. Do Dinh Hong hoped that the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICham) would cooperate with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports to promote and introduce Vietnamese ao dai so that it conquers the Western market, especially the Italian one. Thereby, bringing the culture of Vietnam and Italy closer together.
Ao dai by 2 designers Maria Elena Di Terlizzi (Italy) and Quang Hoa (Vietnam)
The project “Ao Dai heritage – The culture of love”.
According to Michele D’Ercole, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam: Ao Dai has long been a symbol of the Vietnamese people. Ao Dai is not only an ordinary costume but has become the cultural identity of Vietnamese people. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICham) has been carrying out activities to bring Vietnamese ao dai to the world. Towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Italy (1973-2023), Golden Heritage Group and the Embassy of Italy in Hanoi, the Embassy of Vietnam in Rome and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICham) are implementing a cultural exchange project between Vietnam and Italy in the fashion design industry called Ao Dai Heritage – The Culture of Love.
This is a project for the cultural exchange between Vietnam and Italy based on the core values and outstanding advantages of each country. On the one hand, the project brings Vietnamese ao dai into international fashion life, on the other hand, brings the international technological quintessence of Italy into the traditional Vietnamese ao dai, so that we can form new values based on national values and the strength of the times. It is expected that there will be 2 performances in Italy and Vietnam each year and will last continuously for 5 years. The performances will be held in cities with famous cultural values and heritages of countries around the world. In 2023, the project will hold a show in Hanoi, Michele D’Ercole hopes that the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports will support the selection of a location to promote the beauty of the ao dai and the value of the capital’s famous heritage.
The project aims to create a collection of 60 ao dai with 3 styles: Traditional, ordinary, and modern. The designs will use Italian materials and modern materials to match world fashion trends, be accessible to users of many countries. Currently, Italian designer Maria Elena Di Terlizzi and Vietnamese designer Quang Hoa have participated in the project and together created ao dai that shows the intersection between the two cultures.