VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES ----------------------------------------------------- LEE MI JUNG “AO DAI” A SYMBOL OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE MASTER THESIS Major: Vietnamese Studies Hanoi - 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES ----------------------------------------------------- LEE MI JUNG “AO DAI” A SYMBOL OF VIETNAMESE CULTURE Master thesis of Major: Vietnamese Studies Code: 60 31 60 Thesis supervisor : Prof. PHAM DUC DUONG Hanoi - 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS PRELUDE. Reasons to choose the study matter. Study purpose and meaning .5 Meaning of study.
Review of previous studies on Ao Dai .7 Specificness of the previous studies .7 Existing problems of previous studies. Subject and scope of study .15 Chapter1: ORIGIN AND PROCESS OF FORMING THE AO DAI AS WE KNOW NOWADAYS. Vietnamese cultural costume. Origin of Vietnames cultural costume.
Classification and specificness of the first Vietnamese costumes 18 1. Origin of forming and the process of transformation of Vietnamese traditional Ao dai. Effect of Chinese Qi Pao .25 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Effects of Cham’s Ao Dai.
Effect of French-western costumes. Ao Dai development stages .32 Chapter2: VALUE AND SPECIFICNESS OF AO DAI-VIETNAMESE CULTURAL SYMBOL. Composition and specificness of traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai. Composition of Ao Dai.
Specificness of Ao Dai. Traditional Ao Dai and Modern Ao Dai. Ao Dai Accessories. Ao DAi in the war against the USA.
Symbol of war protest and peace. Symbol for Vietnam’s independence. Ao Dai after the Doi Moi policy. Symbol for renovation in socio-economic.
Symbol of national culture .51 Chapter 3: ROLE AND BEAUTY OF AO DAI. Role of Ao Dai. Ao Dai as a type of uniform. Ao Dai and women.
Beauty of Ao Dai .58 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Vietnamese Ao Dai in comparison with Korean’s Hanbok. Brief introduction about Korean’s Hanbok. Comparison between Ao Dai and Hanbok .73 Expectations to subsequent studies .77 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com INDEX OF TABLE [TABLE 1.88 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Reasons to choose the study matter Ao Dai is one of the image that many people have not been to Vietnam, but they only see the Ao Dai, they can think of Vietnam. Since economic reforms, many Countries in the world in the process of establishing diplomatic relationships with Vietnam, have attempted to learn about Vietnam's culture. Therefore, concerns about Ao Dai has been gradually improved. However, there exists a fact that the study of Ao Dai still is limited.
These available data are not the theory that only describe meanings of origin, name, or explain basically outside levels, and add to feelings and subjective judgments of the author. Moreover, this content has not been corrected by a synthetic way. From there, I found that the start of analyzing and correcting the study of Ao Dai is more urgent. Therefore, this study will be help for those who want to learn a comprehensive and in-depth way about Ao Dai, as well as people see firstly or want to have more information about Ao Dai.
Study purpose and meaning Study purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse Ao Dai – Vietnamese symbol - systematically and comprehensively. Most previous studies on Ao Dai were only a primary topic when introducing to Vietnam, There is no any professional and systematic study. Even contents about Ao Dai were also very poor, most reviews and the author's subjective thoughts, or a brief introduction to the origin, the meaning of name or describing the appearance of Ao Dai. Learning from previous studies, this study develops not only introduction about Ao Dai, but also consider the change of history since Ao Dai appeared firstly in Vietnam until the new style appears as we know today.
Moreover, 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com the article also distinguishes kinds of Ao Dai, then analyzing features, beauty and role of each kind. This research was done in the hope of replacing the previous incomplete studies about Ao Dai a symbol of Vietnam. After the renovation in 1986, Vietnam's Government has used Ao Dai as a mean of promoting the image of the country, but the fact can be denied that documents about Ao Dai is limited, only briefly recorded in the history books, not have a professional study. In the reform period, western culture was introduced in Vietnam, but like the majority of Southeast Asian countries, due to the impact of the introduction of the momentum, the lack of selectivity traditional costumes of each country, each country does not inherit intact identities.
Until now, traditional costumes are not as daily costumes, it only was worn in big events or holidays. I myself hope that Ao Dai will dominate its position in the future, it is clothes to wear every day, and not merely an uniform as today. Meaning of Study This study is the summary of all previous short and incomprehensive studies on Ao Dai. Accordingly, it can be said that this study will be a precious source for people who want to understand deeply and comprehensively about Ao Dai – Vietnamese cultural symbol.
When considering carefully previous studies, it is obvious that most of them only simply notes about Ao Dai’s appearance, meaning of the name or origin, and in many cases, reflect the subjective thoughts/assessments of the author only. In fact, there has not been any comprehensive study in this regard. Therefore, by summarizing the previous studies, this study is expected to become a more reliable and accurate document. Many people know Ao Dai as the traditional costume of Vietnam, Vietnam went through the long war, economic and social circumstances become difficult, damaged, humans' perception of the value of studying traditional costumes are not high because of feelings when conducting study.
Most people see it as a costume, 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com they do not realize that it is necessary to have a systematic study. But elements making our lives: clothes is an important part, especially traditional costumes are a symbol, representing for a country, in terms of domestic policies to improve a national pride, in terms of foreign policies as a mean to promote a national image. Through these points, the value of this study is relatively large. In particular, by analyzing in depth Vietnamese costume culture based on the available documents on Ao Dai, the study expects to become a tool to grasp the modernization trend of traditional culture, as well as the potential of Vietnamese culture through types of Ao Dai, in the process of Vietnamese society modernization.
At the same time, this article would like to become useful material for researchers learn about Ao dai. Review of previous studies on Ao Dai Specificness of the previous studies Ao Dai known to the world for the first time through the war against the United States of America, and spread images more widely after the Doi Moi policy in its role as a symbol of Vietnam. With special charms that no other types of costumes having, Ao Dai received a lot of attention of world fashion. However, so far there is no study which corresponds to the value of Ao Dai.
Instead of studying profession, these current studies of both Vietnam and foreign countries were only a brief and sketchy notes, they are not any literary and artistic value, these studies did not base on materials of history, which were mainly subjective assessment, the author's personal about Ao Dai. Because of lacking of expertise in the study is understandable. Some foreign material is simply translated from Vietnam's materials, many cases of conveying false information due to errors in the translation process. Materials are low, repeating in the process of synthesizing or excerpting from available documents to make contents similar to each other.
Probably in the 7 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com last time, Ao Dai’s studied, investigated by foreign researchers more than Vietnam, showed that the capacity of self-advocacy research in Vietnam is poor. In the study process, I have tried to access to materials in the United States or France, but most of them was recorded by subjective nature, just described Ao Dai when seeing or perceiving that moment. On the other hand, the absence of images such as photographs, photos attached; therefore, the inference of new Ao Dai from these documents is a difficult thing to do. Existing problems of previous studies This section will analysis in four key points as follows: Firstly, Studying Ao Dai in Vietnam; Secondly, studying Ao Dai in Foreign Countries; Thirdly, studying Ao Dai with a historical perspective, women and costumes of Vietnam; Fourthly, studying of the appearance of new Ao dai under the action of time in the 1920s, 1930s and the influence of modern Chinese costumes.
Firstly, studying Ao Dai is done in Vietnam; most studies do not take Ao Dai as the main theme, which is just a cursory and brief introduction, Ao Dai as a minor theme in the article about Vietnam's costumes. The article took Ao Dai as the main theme, also at the level of translating works of foreign authors into Vietnamese or pictures of Ao Dai. "Ao dai women's Long Dress"(2011)1 is a 98 page booklet, which includes 17 large and small topics, such as: meaning of Ao Dai and describing the shape of Ao Dai, the development process, current Ao Dai, Ao Dai for women, oldest shop in Hanoi, the village making silk, thoughts of Ao Dai for people living in the USA. because of having too many sub-themes, the book went against the intended purpose, rambling contents, only introducing monotonous, much more personal criticism.
The book can bring for people's feeling who contact firstly Ao Dai: "Well, This is Ao dai." To help Foreigners contact firstly with Ao Dai can understand 1 Lady Borton, Huu Ngoc, "Ao dai women's Long Dress", (World Publisher, 2011). 8 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com easily the meaning of Ao Dai in the last part of the book with the translation into English of the name of Ao Dai. In general, this is the record, comment on Ao Dai under foreigner's perspective, the book's audience as foreigners. "Vietnam Costume"2 is the book to analyze, arrange Vietnam's clothes in each period, describing costumes of everyone, the young and old, all kinds of hats, accessories, jewelry, shoes, hair.
the author was too greedy to want to explain, to list all the things together with long history clothes of Vietnam in a book. Therefore, an explanation has no depth. However, unlike many documents describing Ao Dai by words, this book also attach images to help readers better understand the shape of costumes. But attaching photos that are not a real image as the shape of shoes, hats.
making it difficult to imagine the real shape because of the lack of precision of photos. If the book classifies images of Ao Dai of each period or each type can understand easier. "Food Culture and traditional costumes of Vietnamese"3 is an essay published in a book. This book includes two main topics: food and clothing; contents related to costumes, explained by each division and in each period, but there is no picture attached, it is difficult to understand and imagine.
In particular, the part related to jewelry accessories accompanying drawings, not have actual images; is clearly divided into many obvious topics such as: hat, scarf, shoes, jewelry. but the explanation is still monotonous, scattered. In addition to, these issues, as the above mentioned book, due to covering many contents as: Foods and costumes in normal days, anniversaries, anniversary worship, marriage. technical textiles, color and costume jewelry.