MSc. Vo Thanh Huong
Having been attached to the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies for many years, the traditional Vietnamese Ao dai has brought me many unforgettable emotions. I do not know since when, but my colleagues Truc Huong, Thanh Thuy and I have always been associated with guiding international students (the Fashion group) in wearing Vietnamese ethnic costumes and traditional Ao dai to perform on stage during festivals or art programs of the University and the Faculty.
There was one time that I will always remember; it was in early March 2016, in response to the Ao dai Week of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the whole city held an Ao dai fashion contest called: Charming Ao dai organized by the Department of Tourism. We took the students to participate in the performance in the city-wide competition and made it to the final round on March 8, 2016.
That was the first time international students appeared in graceful Ao dai, stepping onto the stage to perform alongside other Vietnamese units in the city. The fact that our Fashion group was sent to perform before a large Vietnamese audience was also a surprise to us. I remember that time, we only had about two weeks to select, guide, and practice with the students on every step of their stage performance. Receiving the invitation letter from the Organizing Committee via an official dispatch from the University (around mid-February 2016), requesting the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies to represent the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City to participate. Upon receiving the task, we felt more worried than happy. Time was tight, and we had to start from selecting "models" for the competition group. My colleague Truc Huong and I had to go and directly select international students from regular classes as well as students from other short-term Vietnamese language classes, choosing those with a physique suitable for performing in traditional Vietnamese Ao dai. With the help of other teachers, we finally selected a suitable cast of "models". Thus, the selection for our Ao dai Fashion competition group initially had positive and quite smooth signals. Once we had enough numbers, we took the time to practice with the students because we only had one week to prepare for the preliminary round.
In previous fashion performances at the University and Faculty's art festivals, we always had plenty of time to practice, unlike the rush of this time. For me personally, this was the most difficult time even though before that, I had experience in guiding students in basic steps on the fashion catwalk and on the stage of the University's Hall D. This time, we had to practice continuously in the evenings throughout the week because the teachers had to teach, and the students also had to finish their Vietnamese language classes. Previously, we usually practiced on weekends, the time was long, and teachers could join me in arranging the formation, reminding the students of each step, and each position in the group's performance formation. This time, to participate in the performance in the preliminary round, only I could follow the students every night for the whole week. Other teachers could not follow the students every evening like me due to family matters. So, I planned, wrote, and directed the "battle" with the students myself. I asked colleague Song Huong to choose the music for the performance group. Near the preliminary round, some students were tired after finishing their Vietnamese classes during the day and "dropped out" somewhere. So I had to find replacements. What to do now? After much thinking, in the end, I had to choose the safest way, especially with no more risks until the preliminary round. Two colleagues, Xuan Ai and Bao Ngoc from the Faculty office, and I would join the Fashion group. With stability in "personnel" and performance music, we started practicing for the competition. The responsibility to the University and the Faculty helped us complete the work assigned by the University. Although every night we had dinner with bread and mineral water, I do not know where the strength and spirit came from to help us overcome all obstacles.
Before the preliminary performance night, we had a dress rehearsal on the main stage of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House to get used to the stage and adjust the fashion performance steps to match the background music. Accompanying us was Ms. Nguyen Thi He (who also used to teach Vietnamese in the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies), the mother of Xuan Ai. She happily helped us throughout the time we were on stage practicing during the program's dress rehearsal. Everything was temporarily fine, and I felt as if a burden had been lifted. That night, before the rehearsal, we had to draw lots to perform in order. On the first night of the dress rehearsal (there were 2 rehearsal nights), there were 12 teams performing and I drew number 11. Just when I was worried because I would have to go home very late, a colleague who drew number 2 asked to swap because her team wanted more time to practice before going on stage. Words cannot describe, I felt so lucky and very happy because of this "gift from heaven". That evening, the students performed very well and were in a comfortable mood, no one "forgot the lesson" that had been practiced for the week before. That night, we went home and waited for the announcement from the Organizing Committee about the official preliminary competition day.
Three days later, we participated in the preliminary round. The preliminary round took place on the weekend, so the teachers in the faculty came to cheer very enthusiastically. Mr. Phan Thai Binh (then Deputy Head of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies) arrived at the Youth Cultural House early to attend the Opening Ceremony and draw the performance order. Phuong Chi followed to take photos for the group. We felt as if we were given a lot of strength and self-confidence. We had to arrive at the Faculty early in the morning to do makeup and change into Ao dai (the day before, Truc Huong and I took the students to try on Ao dai and rent them according to each student's size). When we stepped onto the stage, the audience's applause was very enthusiastic, and the reporters raised their cameras to take pictures of the students in the group repeatedly. Inside, I felt an indescribable emotion. The Vietnamese Ao dai flowed and curved with every step of the international students. The Ao dai of all colors fluttered like butterflies, creating incredibly impressive multi-colored stereoscopic color spaces. It can be said that the abstract color block from specific people created a vivid picture connecting people of different skin colors closer together. There could be no more beautiful picture of the image of our Faculty of Vietnamese Studies. In that connection, we are proud to have acted as a bridge across distant continents. The Ao dai were like soft silk ribbons with magical charm, they were like strings tightening the relationship between us - teachers and staff of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies and international students. All the worries before disappeared, leaving only the music, the flowing Ao dai, the steps turning gently and decisively on the stage, along with the incessant applause of the audience. Ending the performance, we followed the music one by one, each person stepped to the front of the stage to greet the audience with a sigh of relief from the whole group.
That afternoon, when hearing the name of the Fashion group of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, being announced to enter the next round to continue performing, we were all very happy and satisfied with the results achieved. But we were both happy and worried because we could not continue to perform in the inner round with what we had today. A new plan was drawn up in a flash. According to Song Huong's plan, we invited more Vietnamese students from the school's dance group to assist. We threw ourselves into training again. Four Vietnamese students and I would have to go out on stage first to perform a dance scene before our group performed the Ao dai fashion show. That dance scene recalled the history of the Vietnamese Ao dai, including the days when students of the Faculty of Letters took to the streets to fight against the US-Puppet regime in the past. On the background music with the sound of helicopters and gunfire - sounds that evoke a painful but heroic time of the country. Those sounds intertwined, creating a powerful emotional effect on the viewers. Prominent on that background music were the Ao dai still fluttering resiliently, honoring Vietnamese girls who not only knew how to take books to school but were also rich in love for their homeland and country, and stood up with their people to win independence for the country through concrete actions. When practicing this part, my heart always swelled with an indescribable emotion. As the first person who had to step out on stage to perform and lead the students, I always tried to perform to the best of my ability and with full emotion to make the students excited and confident enough to walk leisurely on the stage.
Finally, the performance to select the four most excellent teams for the final round also arrived. This time, the teachers in the faculty also came to support our group very enthusiastically. Most of the teachers were present to support our spirit. The performance started at one o'clock in the afternoon, but we had to be there early in the morning to do makeup, change into Ao dai, and fix the outfits for the students. The Fashion group had Truc Huong and me responsible mainly, Song Huong wrote the introduction and read it on the background music when we performed on stage. When each group performed, the Jury would ask questions and the group representative would answer. Although there was no preparation, the whole group unanimously elected me to represent them. Surprised, but I had to take on this responsibility for the "flag and colors" of the whole team. When our group stepped on stage, my nervousness increased every second. When I heard the introduction of the contest Organizing Committee, the music started, I stepped out on stage with trembling legs, but hearing the applause and cheers of the audience, I immersed myself in the role and forgot everything. When the song ended, the whole group greeted the audience amidst incessant applause, I sighed with relief. We lined up horizontally on the stage and Ao dai designer Si Hoang was the one who asked me the question. I remember the content of the question mentioned how to promote the Vietnamese Ao dai to international students more widely. I replied that we feel our responsibility is great in propagating the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people to international students. We teach Vietnamese to them, and through teaching the language, we incorporate lessons about culture. To promote Vietnamese culture widely, we often organize annual festivals on Vietnamese Studies.
Students answering the Jury's questions
Through those festivals, international students have more opportunities to understand Vietnamese culture. The number of international students coming to our faculty is increasing and continues to increase in quantity every year. That is the clearest evidence of the result of our successful dissemination of our culture to foreigners, and especially including the Vietnamese Ao dai that they wore today and participated in performing on stage. After my answer, Si Hoang asked me to invite a student to answer, this was unexpected for us, I quickly chose a Japanese student. He is a Japanese-Vietnamese but was born and raised in Japan, so he speaks Japanese like a native. He tried to answer Si Hoang's question about his feelings when wearing the Vietnamese Ao dai. He answered briefly but with enough meaning. The applause resounded, and so we finished our performance successfully.
At the end of the performance, we asked for permission for the Fashion group to leave first because we had been practicing very intensely all week, and the whole group needed to rest. As for me, I stayed behind with Nguyen Thi Phuong Ly and Pham Van Truoc representing the Trade Union of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies to wait for the results of the group's competition. At exactly four in the afternoon, the contest Organizing Committee announced that the Fashion group of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies had continued to enter the final round with four performing teams. Because we were so tired and stressed, we asked the Organizing Committee for permission not to perform anymore because our students needed to rest, and they also had part-time jobs so we could not ask them to return in the evening. The contest Organizing Committee agreed but requested that someone stay until the evening to attend the closing ceremony and award ceremony. Bao Ngoc and I, and later Hong Minh, stayed to attend the closing ceremony. That night was an unforgettable night for me. My legs were sore from walking on the stage and standing on the podium to receive the award to film and take pictures. The final performance night that day was broadcast live on the HTV 9 television channel.
The Fashion group of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies during the Final night and the contest closing ceremony
That night, I arrived home at 11 p.m. Everyone in the faculty texted to ask about the results of the Charming Ao dai Fashion contest group. Although very tired and exhausted, I tried to reply to the messages so as not to disappoint the expectations of the teachers in the faculty. A day full of emotions and truly beyond my endurance. When going to bed, suddenly remembering the efforts of a collective, the efforts of the students, and the teachers in the faculty, I could not hold back the emotions welling up in my heart, I jumped up and wrote some words of gratitude posted on my Facebook timeline to thank those who stood side by side with me throughout the days of the Charming Ao dai contest: "This award belongs to you, those who love Vietnamese language, Vietnamese culture, and have special feelings for the Vietnamese Ao dai! Thank you Min Seon Lee, Jisu Yu, Ayane Murasugi, Lyna Nguyen, Choi Yeon Joo, Hong go Kunhihiro, Takashio Ruy, Stantnel Darya, Dziaruha Vyktoria, Yoon Ju Young. I would like to send a special thank you to the Board of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies: Le Khac Cuong, Tran Thuy Vinh, Phan Thai Binh, Huynh Duc Thien, along with Nguyen Truc Huong, Vo Song Huong, and the students Nguyen Xuan Ai, Nguyen Hoang Bao Ngoc, Nguyen Ngoc Thu Trinh, Le Thi Chau Giang, Nguyen Kieu Oanh and the "fans" cheering for the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies who took some time, effort... to accompany the Ao dai group of the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies over the past few days! Thank you for all the hearts!"
The Charming Ao dai contest has closed but its echoes will remain forever in the hearts of each of us - members of the common home of Vietnamese Studies. Our reward does not have great material value, but it has brought us an incomparable spiritual value, which is the value of traditional Vietnamese culture in the Ao dai that international friends wore in the Ao dai Fashion festival of Vietnam. They are the ones who promote our culture to distant places in the world through the dear Vietnamese Ao dai.
