The Ngu Than ao dai is classified as the national dress of the Vietnamese people. As the "senior" of modern ao dai, the five-body shirt not only attracts viewers by its elegance but also touches everyone's hearts with its subtle hidden meaning inside…
1. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒈𝒖 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒐 𝑫𝒂𝒊
Before the appearance of the five-body vest, Vietnamese people were familiar with two types of clothes, namely, cross-neck shirt (Giao Lanh) and round neck shirt (Vien Linh).
The structure of these two types is quite similar to China. The birth of the five-body shirt must include the princess of Princess Nguyen Phuc Khoat, and also from the reign of King Minh Mang, this type of dress was widely popular across the country. Because honestly, bringing the five-body ao dai closer to Vietnamese life at that time is a way to clearly distinguish Vietnamese costumes from those of Chinese tourists.
One way to show the cultural unity of each country can be understood in such away. In addition to the name already mentioned, the Ngu Than ao dai also has other names such as " Ao Ngu The" or "Ao Nam Than".
2. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒐 𝑵𝒈𝒖 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏
Under the Nguyen Dynasty, the five-body shirt not only had one type but was divided into two different styles:
First to mention is the Tac shirt. Tac Shirt is a type of costume designed with five boxes covering from the neck to the knees, but not exceeding 10cm. The width of the border is about 4cm (or 1 inch), corresponding to its name. Ao Tac also has many other names, such as "loose sleeve shirt", "robe shirt" or "ceremony vest".
Next is the sleeveless shirt. The five-piece sleeveless top also fits from the five canvases, with the front and rear body design symmetrically across the chest and back. The seam that joins the two front bodies together is called "coincidental". The final body, or the fifth body, lies in the first and is oriented to the right. The front two bodies of the sleeveless five-body shirt are usually slightly above the knee, ranging from 5 to 7 cm. To distinguish it from the tunic, the sleeveless five-bodied shirt has narrow cuffs, in other words, a tight-knit style.
For brocade five-body ao dai, only the upper class could afford it and often accompanied by needles, holy needles ... For the common people, the five-body garment made by a cloth, the thin is enough ...
Five-button tops are required. The sophistication of the shirt lies here. Those five buttons are "Nhan - Le - Nghia - Tri - Tin", shortly called the five common. For men in the past, if they did not meet these five factors, they did not deserve to be a gentleman as Confucianism taught. Wearing a five-body ao dai means that you must obey the religion hidden in it. The shirt is also silent teaching. Besides, Eastern people strongly believe in the theory of the Five Elements. Therefore, the shirt of the body and mind indicates the interference "Kim - Moc - Thuy - Fire - Tho".
According to Vietnamese tradition, ao dai must be accompanied by a scarf, called a "scarf". Towels are often folded into the form of the word "Nhat" or "Nhan", meaning that the benevolent and benevolent must be "put first". For men, it is, and women will use braces or brooches as a beauty accessory. Well ... the five-body shirt means just one kind of ao dai. If you do not want to become "Mr. Apple", of course, you must use long pants when wearing a shirt. In the end, wooden clogs are an obvious must-have. That's how the real five-body shirt looks.
3. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆-𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 - 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑰𝒏 𝑷𝒐𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆?
The five-body shirt is always a beauty, being "National Spirit" when it comes to Vietnamese culture. There are two types of clothes as mentioned. Although it is the National Dress, in daily life, no one likes the entanglement. So a sleeveless top is a wise choice. But during festive occasions, such as a happy day or the next spring, a shirt with loose sleeves like a t-shirt makes sense.
The five-body shirt has become a fashion trend that is chosen by many young people who love the country's costume culture for a wedding. Because the five-body shirt has an elegant, poise look, suitable for men, but no less formal and respectful for women. Besides, the traditional beauties when being adapted in movies will attract a very high number of viewers, so five-body clothing has been applied, especially in the historical movie "Phuong Khau" with the 3 parts long.
The cradle of the five-body Ao Dai was the land of Thua Thien - Hue. Therefore, there was a proposal for male students and male civil servants to wear five-bodied ao dai on the first Monday at the start of a new month. This has caused great controversy. The reason is also that Hue wants to create the brand "Ao Dai capital of Vietnam" and wants UNESCO to grant the title "The representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity". Besides, this approach not only has coverage within Hue but also throughout the territory of Vietnam. While preserving cultural beauty, it can also be seen as the equality between men and women in wearing ao dai to work.
And… With VAC's sharing on five-body ao dai, perhaps people have formed an understanding of a "national spirit" of Vietnam. The Ao Dai in the pictures that VAC brings is a sleeveless five-body ao dai. Hope everyone has the best experience after reading this article!