Expert: Al Slagle - 3/7/2006

Question
I'll be traveling along the coast of Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Ch Minh City in May.  I'm thinking about buying or having made a couple of bao dais to travel in.  But the examples on the internet all look quite formal.  Is there a casual version of the ao dai? Or do women wear other casual clothing?

Thanks for your help!

Dana

Answer
Hi Dana,

Sorry for the delayed response. I checked the internet myself for some ao dais and they all looked pretty formal to me compared to what I actually saw in HCMC and along the coast. I think the main styles of ao dai I saw were pretty simple in design, either white or light blue in color. I assumed the girls wearing them were students but I might have been wrong. Of course other young women wore casual clothes similar to Western culture (i.e. jeans, t-shirts, blouses). As for how to get a hold of an ao dai is beyond my knowledge I'm afraid. I hope this helps and I hope you have a wonderful time in Vietnam!

Al