Le Thi Thuy won first prize for her Ao Dai designs with the theme of the Thang Long Royal Citadel (Photo: Truong Hung/ phunuvietnam.vn)

The contest honors Ao Dai – the traditional costume of Vietnam – and its tangible and intangible cultural heritages. Ms. Le Thi Thuy won first prize for her Ao Dai designs with the theme of the Thang Long Royal Citadel: “My collection has 5 designs with a pattern of lotus leaves, representing the development period of Buddhism from the 11^th to the 14^th century. I also depict the image of the dragon of the Ly and Tran dynasties on the Ao Dai. I want to promote Vietnamese Ao Dai as the quintessence of Vietnamese culture”.

The contest coincides with the 90^th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union.