Áo dài is a modernized Vietnamese national garment consisting of a long split tunic worn over silk trousers. It can serve as formalwear for both men and women. Áo translates as shirt and dài means "long". The term can also be used to describe any clothing attire that consists of a long tunic, such as nhật bình.
Vietnamese students wearing Áo dài, 2013
A woman wearing white Áo dài, May 2021
Portrait of Tôn Thất Hiệp (1653–1675). He is dressed in a cross-collared robe (áo giao lĩnh) which was commonly worn by all social castes of Vietnam before the 19th century
Two women wear áo ngũ thân, the predecessor of the áo dài worn in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries depicted on the postcard.
The áo giao lĩnh, referred to as the giao lãnh y in Literary Chinese texts. Folk often call it áo tràng vạt or áo tràng xiên, referred to as áo tràng, was a traditional cross-collared robe worn by Vietnamese before the 19th century. It was influenced from Han Chinese clothing and was typically worn by the royalty, the aristocracy, the nobility, and the commoners. During the Nguyễn dynasty, the áo ngũ thân was commonly worn and the áo giao lĩnh was only worn in formal occasions.
The Vietnamese civilians (man and woman) in Lê dynasty wearing áo giao lĩnh.
Examination graduates wearing an áo giao lĩnh.
Giảng học đồ (講學圖; Lecture Picture), 18th century, Hanoi Museum of National History. Scholars and students wear cross-collared gowns (áo cổ chéo) – unlike the buttoned áo dài