(Photo: tuoitre.vn)

As the highlight of this year’s festival, the opening ceremony saw the participation of municipal leaders and the ladies of the consuls of India, Hungary, Republic of Korea, Cuba, Thailand, Finland, Singapore, China, Italia, and Germany.

A fashion show featuring collections of Ao dai created by famous designers, namely Sy Hoang, Minh Hanh, Lan Huong, Lien Huong, Vo Viet Chung, Thuan Viet, Viet Hung, Minh Chau, Ngo Nhat Huy, Cao Minh Tien and Tuan Hai among others were introduced at the opening ceremony.

This year’s festival will feature a series of cultural events, such as the ‘Vietnamese charming Ao Dai’ exhibition and a street photography competition on Ao dai in Nguyen Hue Walking Street; Ao dai fashion shows in the Ao dai Museum, the Southern Women's Museum and the municipal Youth’s Cultural House; a parade titled ‘I love Viet Nam’ featuring more than 3,000 women wearing Vietnamese traditional ao dai in Nguyen Hue Walking Street.

The Ao Dai Festival aims to honor the culture of traditional Vietnamese dresses throughout different periods of time and promote ao dai to foreign visitors.

Co-organised by the city’s Department of Tourism in association with the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Union, the festival will run until March 17.