Áo dài to go on show at We Are Together Festival

HA NOI — Vietnamese designer Lan Huong will showcase around 60 ao dai creations at an exhibition and performance in Seoul next month.

The event is a part of We Are Together Festival 2018 which will be held for the second time in Korea. The festival will take place at the KBS Arena from June 14 to 17 to introduce and feature Vietnamese culture.

Ao dai designer Huong has been in Korea for many events before but this is a rare chance for her to appear at such a large event.

"Vietnamese ao dai and Korean hanbok will make an interesting contrast," said the designer. "A hanbok doesn’t show the body and looking at a model wearing hanbok people cannot see her body. But ao dai shows the graceful curves of the wearer. The contrast between the two traditional dresses will create different emotions."

The Ao dai and hanbok show will take to the stage from 5pm to 6pm on June 16. An exhibition of ao dai will open before in the lobby with a demonstration of ao dai creations by artists Le Van Kheo and Nguyen Thi Loan. The 79-year-old Kheo will spin silk and the 74-year-old Loan will embroider the pattern.

Highlight of the festival will be music by Korean girl band I.C.E and Vietnamese artists. The four-member group made an impact in the music scene with their debut video Over U featuring powerful dance moves and a catchy song.

Vietnamese artists will be Minh Hang, Van Mai Huong, Hoa Minzy, Trung Quan and Trong Hieu. Minh Hang is the most popular in Viet Nam with her music and cinema career. She starred in Korean movie remake entitled 200 Pound Beauty, last year.

Trong Hieu is Viet Nam Idol 2015 winner while Van Mai Huong was the runner-up in the 2010 Idol competition.

"We organise the festival We Are Together with a view to make Vietnamese expatriates feel warm and remember their homeland," said Kim Kang-wook from DB Insurance, representing for the festival organisation. "We also want to introduce Vietnamese culture to Korean people and promote relationships between the two countries".

The festival organisation co-ordinates with Viet Nam Women’s Union to select three Vietnamese mothers and sponsor them to come to meet their daughters who got married Korean husbands. — VNS