What is the national dress for Vietnamese Women?

A special, ao dai (traditional Vietnamese long dress) has been introduced by Vo Viet Chung, a famous Vietnamese designer, to mark his 20 years in fashion and welcome the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi.

Vo Viet Chung's ao dai has won a place in the Guinness Book of records, as it has nine back flaps that trail for 100 meters each and a headset symbolizing the nine branches or the Mekong Rever. The dresses features 2,000 diamonds and fold decorative pieces and 1,000 meters of traditional silk, and will be worn by Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy at the "Hoi Trung Duong" show at the White Palace Convention Centering Ho Chi Minh City's Phu Nhuan District on October 4.

Heritage recently spoke with designer Vo Viet Chung about his masterpiece.
What was your motivation in designing such an extraordinary ao dai?
Well, it is designed to serve two purposes, to mark my 20 year milestone in fashion design and to fin the celebrations for Thang Long- Hanoi's 1,000th birthday. The dress is mainly handmade, by me and my colleagues, over more than three years. It is also finished with a diamond crown worth over VND 1 billion, sponsored by the Zeta Company. The crown is carved with nine flying dragons, which express the old name of the capital ("Thang Long" means flying dragon) and represent the nine branches of the Mekong River. Different from western culture, in Vietnam the dragon is a symbol of power and the flying dragons characterize the union and development of Hanoi.

After presenting it to Thang Long-Hanoi, do you plan to introduce it to the world?
Yes, the ao dai will be shown in many countries around the world to introduce the hidden charm of Vietnam and its friendly people. Its first destination is South Korea, in a special show to be broadcast on KBS World (a major South Korean broadcaster) in mid October.