The Establishment of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Cultural Association is Truly Essential in the Current Context. After much consideration and dedication from the members of the Founding Committee, this milestone is a result to be truly proud of. The Ao Dai is, after all, an image of Vietnamese culture. At regional and global forums, the Vietnamese Ao Dai consistently appears as a symbol of Vietnamese women. The graceful flow of the Ao Dai embodies the unique cultural traits of the Vietnamese people, reflecting the culture within the philosophy of life and business of Vietnamese women—gentle, flexible, sophisticated, and persevering.
I hope that the establishment of the Vietnamese Ao Dai Cultural Association will not only continue to affirm the position and image of Vietnamese culture in the eyes of international friends, but also serve as a bridge for integration—bringing Vietnam’s heritage to the world. Cultural activities will also become a foundation for promoting economic development through the operations of businesses, especially those led by women.
It is expected that once established, the Vietnamese Ao Dai Cultural Association will closely connect with organizations such as the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and the Vietnam Association for the Development of Cultural Industries, among others. This will create large-scale and high-profile activities that spread the values of traditional culture, promote people-to-people diplomacy, and bring Vietnam’s culture and heritage to the world.
After its inception, the Vietnamese Ao Dai Cultural Association should quickly promote the development of long-term strategies and action plans. This includes determining priorities in building the organization, identifying core activities, and fostering the integration of culture, heritage, economy, and diplomacy.
In recent years, our Party and State have always paid special attention to and strongly promoted cultural activities. Among them, the Ao Dai heritage stands as one of the most iconic representations of Vietnamese cultural identity both domestically and internationally. I believe that in the journey toward building a dossier to nominate the Vietnamese Ao Dai for UNESCO’s recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Vietnamese Ao Dai Cultural Association—together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Women’s Union, and other related organizations—will contribute an important voice, advancing efforts and channels to help the Vietnamese Ao Dai soon be recognized as a world heritage.
Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh
Founder & Chairwoman of WeLead
Founding Member of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network
Chairwoman of the Global Summit of Women in Vietnam