{"id":4922,"date":"2020-11-09T18:13:27","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T10:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=4922"},"modified":"2021-01-06T19:02:28","modified_gmt":"2021-01-06T11:02:28","slug":"ao-dai-teacher-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/ao-dai-teacher-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Teacher Wears Ao Dai To Work, Reviving A Centuries-Old Tradition For Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnamese teacher wears ao dai<\/em> to work<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A few months ago, photos of Vietnamese men wearing ao dai<\/em> to work<\/a> in Hue sparked online debates on the revival of the ao dai<\/a><\/em>-wearing tradition among Vietnamese men. Netizens also suggested that more companies and schools in Vietnam promote ao dai<\/em> wearing among men to help preserve the tradition<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the idea of men wearing <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> to work sounds like an innovative idea to many, it\u2019s a daily habit and nothing new for some. For university professor <\/span>Ho Minh Quang<\/b>, <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> has been his everyday office wear for the past decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He\u2019s been wearing ao dai <\/em>to work for the past 10 years<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Vietnamese
\nImage adapted from: Nguy\u1ec5n Ng\u1ecdc Y\u1ebfn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On 5th November, a photo of a Vietnamese teacher wearing ao dai <\/em>while teaching in class was shared on Facebook group Ch\u00e1o H\u00e0nh Mi\u1ec5n Ph\u00ed<\/a> by user Nguy\u1ec5n Ng\u1ecdc Y\u1ebfn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The teacher in the photo is <\/span>Professor Ho Minh Quang<\/b>, <\/span>Head of the Faculty of Eastern Studies at The University of Social Sciences and Humanities of<\/span> Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0where he teaches Sino-Vietnamese characters as well as the cultures and histories of Asian countries such as China, Japan, and India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nImage adapted from: Anh Stela<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

According to the source, even though <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> is not the university\u2019s compulsory dress code, Professor Quang wears <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> to work <\/span>on a daily basis <\/b>to preserve <\/span>traditional culture<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nImage adapted from: Anh Stela<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As if a man wearing ao dai <\/em>is not impressive enough, Professor Quang completes his fashion statement with a silk headband, wooden slippers, <\/b>and a paper fan<\/b> for a full-on traditional get-up.<\/p>\n

\"VietnameseProfessor Quang sharing the stage with the Ambassador of Thailand at an educational event<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Khoa \u0110\u00f4ng Ph\u01b0\u01a1ng h\u1ecdc – Tr\u01b0\u1eddng \u0110H Khoa h\u1ecdc X\u00e3 h\u1ed9i v\u00e0 Nh\u00e2n v\u0103n TP.HCM<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Netizens are impressed with his unique work wear<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The photo of Professor Quang in <\/span>ao dai <\/span><\/em>quickly garnered attention from local netizens, earning over 21,000 likes at the time of writing and over 800 comments praising his unique sense of fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nImage adapted from: Ch\u00e1o H\u00e0nh Mi\u1ec5n Ph\u00ed<\/em>\u00a0<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWow. He looks so cool.\u201d Facebook user <\/span>Phan Kim Thanh <\/span><\/a>commented.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nImage adapted from: Ch\u00e1o H\u00e0nh Mi\u1ec5n Ph\u00ed\u00a0<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Facebook user Minh Ch\u00e2u<\/a> commented on the post, \u201cI had the chance to meet and talk with him. He\u2019s very cute. Because he\u2019s in charge of researching and teaching Vietnamese history, he\u2019s very passionate <\/b>about Vietnamese traditional garments and always wears ao dai t<\/em>o work.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vietnamese male students discuss the idea of wearing ao dai <\/em>to school<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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While a number of men across the country endorse the idea of wearing <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em>, many falter at the idea, especially high school students who must follow their schools\u2019 dress codes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Actress
\nActress Kim Xuan raised the unique suggestion during a meeting with Marie Curie High School students<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>Kim Xuan Chau<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In a recent statement that soon went viral,<\/span> local actress Kim Xuan <\/b>suggested educational authorities to consider having Vietnamese male students wear <\/span>ao dai<\/em> <\/span>to school. <\/span>
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She proposed having male students wear <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> to school every Monday while attending their weekly<\/span> flag-raising ceremony<\/b>. While her suggestion was well-meant, it has sparked heated debates among male students and parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nVietnamese teacher and students during the French colonial time<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>Ch\u01b0\u01a1ng Tr\u00ecnh IPL<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

While some are excited to see the revival of tradition since <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> was Vietnamese male students’ nationwide uniform a century ago, many have expressed concern.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vietnamese
\nAo dai has long been synonymous with girly fashion and feminine looks<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>B\u00e1o Kh\u00e1nh H\u00f2a <\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

With the overwhelming popularity of Western daily wear in Vietnamese schools, persuading male students to switch to <\/span>ao dai<\/span><\/em> will be a daunting task. Even though <\/span>ao dai<\/em> <\/span>was historically worn by men and women, it has taken on feminine connotations<\/strong> that not every man might be keen on, and can be impractical for all genders during hot weather.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vietnamese teacher wears ao dai<\/em> to work everyday<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Professor Quang is a shining example to his students about<\/span> representing our culture <\/b>through the simple decisions we make in everyday life, such as <\/span>fashion<\/b>. He could have chosen more convenient and popular Western-style clothing to wear to class, but he chose the elegant <\/span>ao dai<\/em> <\/span>that\u2019s made him a respected cultural ambassador instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Besides special events such as Tet, we can all try to don an <\/span>ao dai <\/span><\/em>on more everyday occasions to represent our cultural heritage and identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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