The festival marks the launch of a series of activities for the “Hello Ho Chi Minh City” tourism campaign which aims to promote images of the national dress, in addition to showcasing both the landscape and people of the southern metropolis to the world.

During the opening ceremony Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, says the annual festival will ultimately contribute to preserving and promoting the nation’s traditional cultural values, including the elegant beauty of the Ao Dai.

A fashion show opens the Ao Dai Festival, with leading local designers introducing 15 Ao Dai collections, featuring a total of 500 outfits.

Plenty of traditional long dresses created by designers Nguyen Tuan, Vo Viet Chung, and Tuan Hai are worn by models, in addition to artists and foreign students from Laos and Cambodia.

The seventh Ao Dai Festival in Ho Chi Minh City is due to last until November 20.