Anyone who has traveled in Vietnam likely remembers having their eyes caught by a woman in an ao dai standing tall—at an airport, in a café, in front of a temple. That national dress took center stage in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City over two days, June 19–20, 2026, not as a “viewed exhibit” but as “the language of the city.” The venue was Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Nguyen Van Binh Street) in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1—a pedestrian zone of just about 100 meters, sandwiched between Saigon Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Association, the theme was “Saigon's Ao Dai — the Cultural Language of This City.” For Japanese travelers too, it was an event that gives a clue to knowing what that single garment carries, beyond just wearing one and taking a photo.
What happened over two days
This second Ao Dai Culture Festival was built around two photo exhibitions tracing Saigon's ao dai past and present. One was the “Saigon Ao Dai” photo exhibition, the other a community photo exhibition titled “1,000 Faces — 1,000 Saigon Ao Dai Stories.” The latter was prepared as an open exhibition that citizens and travelers could drop into for free, lining up the images of ordinary people with their own garments, not just specific designers and models. During the run, an awards program celebrating people who wear ao dai daily was also held, putting the spotlight on “the people who wear it” rather than the garment itself.
Alongside this, the association announced two documents laying out the city's direction. One was the “Book Street 2026 Message” on Saigon's ao dai-wearing culture, the other the “Book Street 2026 Declaration” to nurture the city's ao dai cultural ecosystem. An alliance of organizations and partners supporting the efforts through 2030 was also formally launched. The intent to make it not a one-off festival but a starting point for cultural policy over the coming years is clearly readable.
Background — ao dai is a “habit” more than a “costume”
In Japan, ao dai conjures the image of a gorgeous national dress you rent and wear at a tourist spot. In Vietnam, however, and in Ho Chi Minh City especially, ao dai is both a special outfit for anniversaries and a thoroughly everyday uniform. High-school girls commute in white ao dai, bank and airline counter staff wear it for work, and at Tet (Lunar New Year), families head out into the city in colorful ao dai together. It's not an exhibit but a living verb—the very act of “wearing” is rooted as culture.
This event's choice of the words “cultural language” captures that sense. Designer Anna Hanh Le, serving as acting president of the association, said, “Ao dai is memory, it is identity, it embodies national pride, and at the same time it is an important resource for nurturing the cultural industry.” She also said, “Every ao dai has a story. Everyone who wears an ao dai is a cultural ambassador.” These two statements distill the aim of the plan. Beyond value as a tourist photo spot or souvenir, the goal is to redesign ao dai citywide as the core of an industry spanning education, fashion, photography, and digitalization. The “ao dai cultural ecosystem” vision, to be advanced from 2026 to 2030, declares that it will tie culture, heritage, education, tourism, fashion, business, media, photography, and digital transformation together with a single thread.
The venue being Book Street carries meaning too. It's an intellectual promenade lined with bookstore chains and book cafés, a space also used routinely for painting and photo exhibitions. Not a gorgeous runway, but a street of books and writing where ao dai is discussed. The theme “Saigon's cultural language” and the venue meshed neatly.
Highlights — tracing old and new Saigon in photos
From a traveler's perspective, the biggest highlights were, after all, the two photo exhibitions. The “Saigon Ao Dai” photo exhibition placed the ao dai of bygone Saigon and present-day Ho Chi Minh City side by side, letting you visually follow how silhouettes, colors, and styling have shifted. In Saigon, where French colonial buildings often form the background, the vertical line of the ao dai and the contrast with Western-style architecture make a distinctive picture. Looking alternately at old and modern photos, the changes in the townscape and the ao dai come to overlap.
The other, “1,000 Faces — 1,000 Saigon Ao Dai Stories,” stars ordinary citizens, not just professional models. Because it was open for free, tourists could drop in too and glimpse a stranger's garment and the life behind it. The association's message that “there are as many stories as people who wear it” took the very form of the exhibition. What set this event apart was that it functioned not as a show displaying finished beauty but as an archive gathering ao dai amid daily life.
How locals received it
From the words exchanged at the venue and the surrounding reactions, you can sense this event wasn't consumed as a mere tourist event.
- The organizers' viewpoint — Anna Hanh Le's remark that “everyone who wears an ao dai is a cultural ambassador” resonated as a declaration repositioning the garment from an object of appreciation to “a culture in which each citizen becomes a bearer.”
- The viewpoint of families and local residents — Around Book Street during this period, evening cultural programs were also arranged, and the scene spread of families sitting down to listen to traditional performing arts while children tried their hand at rice-flour craft. The ao dai photo exhibition lay on the extension of that calm city atmosphere, received as part of local daily life rather than a flashy spectacle for tourists.
- The viewpoint of travelers and photography lovers — The free photo exhibition offered an entry point not only to travelers chasing a photogenic shot but also to those who want to know Vietnamese culture deeply. A composition gathering “ordinary people's ao dai” rather than highly polished portraits, if anything, drew travelers' empathy.
A tip for Japanese travelers — don't stop at just wearing it
Knowing about events like this deepens the way you enjoy the ao dai experience. In Ho Chi Minh City, services are in place to rent an ao dai on the spot and tour landmarks for photos—Saigon Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Tan Dinh Church (the Pink Church), Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market. Tour formats touring multiple photo spots by motorbike or private car are popular too, and there are shops and guides that handle Japanese.
Where to take it one step further is not consuming photo spots merely as a “photogenic backdrop.” As this photo exhibition showed, Saigon's ao dai has historical meaning in its pairing with French colonial architecture. When you press the shutter in front of the post office or cathedral, simply imagining a little of the time that building and the ao dai have shared changes the weight of a single shot. Just as the awards program celebrated “the people who wear it,” a traveler too can become a cultural ambassador for a day. Color choice is part of the fun, with meaning to the colors—white is the demure student staple, vivid colors are the dress of Tet and celebrations—so choosing to match the scene creates a story rather than just wearing it.
Ripple effects on tourism and culture
With the 2026–2030 cultural-ecosystem plan now in motion, the ao dai experience is highly likely to be further developed from here. Since a design spanning tourism, fashion, photography, and digitalization has been laid out, you can imagine a flow where the quality of rental and photo services, the richness of cultural explanation, and online booking and information all get lifted citywide. The choice of a walkable cultural hub like Book Street as the event's stage also indicates a route for tourists to savor Saigon's culture not as “points” but as a “plane.”
A Saigon trip's royal road is enjoying churches, markets, and food as individual points. Run the vertical thread of ao dai through it, and how the city looks changes. The next time you visit Ho Chi Minh City, it's worth peeking at Book Street's postings and social media to see whether any ao dai-related events or exhibitions are open.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event name | 2nd Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Culture Festival (theme: “Saigon's Ao Dai — the Cultural Language of This City”) |
| Dates | June 19–20, 2026 (ended) |
| Venue | Ho Chi Minh City Book Street (Nguyen Van Binh Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1). Right next to Saigon Cathedral and the Central Post Office |
| Organizer | Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Association |
| Main content | “Saigon Ao Dai” photo exhibition / community photo exhibition “1,000 Faces — 1,000 Saigon Ao Dai Stories” (free) / awards program for wearers / announcement of the cultural-ecosystem declaration |
| How to experience ao dai | Rental shops are dotted around central District 1 and District 3 (around the Pink Church). Photo tours touring landmarks (by motorbike or private car) are plentiful. There are Japanese-speaking shops and guides. Some shops accept advance booking and hotel delivery |
| Landmarks good for photos | Saigon Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Tan Dinh Church (the Pink Church), Independence Palace, Ben Thanh Market, and others |
*The event has ended, but the Ao Dai Association has set out a 2026–2030 cultural-ecosystem plan, so similar events are expected to be held in the future. Rental shop prices and operating status change, so please check each shop's latest information before visiting.
Summary
What the 2nd Ao Dai Culture Festival conveyed is that the ao dai is not a tradition inside a glass case but a habit still living on Saigon's streets. The exhibition placing old and new photos side by side, the archive gathering each citizen's single garment, and the celebrated everyday wearers were all connected on the single point that the act of “wearing” supports the culture. When a traveler slips into a rented ao dai, it's both a sightseeing diversion and, at the same time, participating for a day in this living culture. On your next Saigon trip, do enjoy that single garment along with the story behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is the Ao Dai Culture Festival held every year?
A. What we introduced is the 2nd event, held June 19–20, 2026, which has already ended. The organizer, the Ho Chi Minh City Ao Dai Association, has announced a plan to nurture an ao dai cultural ecosystem from 2026 to 2030, so related events are expected to continue. Please check the latest information before visiting.
Q. Can travelers wear ao dai and take photos too?
A. Yes. Rental shops are dotted around central District 1 and District 3 (around the Pink Church) in Ho Chi Minh City, and tours touring landmarks for photos are plentiful. There are shops and guides that handle Japanese, and some shops accept advance booking and delivery to your accommodation.
Q. Where is the venue, Book Street?
A. It's a pedestrian zone on Nguyen Van Binh Street in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Right next to Saigon Cathedral and the Central Post Office, it's a calm promenade of about 100 meters lined with bookstores and book cafés, easy to drop into while sightseeing.
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