Besides the well known Vietnamese ao dai there is the other two type of Vietnamese traditional clothing that are still alive today. They are "ao tu than" and "ao ba ba". Although both types of clothing are not popular, they are still an important part of the history and culture of the Vietnamese people.
Ao Tu Than- also known as the four-panel tunic is the oldest type of Vietnamese traditional dress. It consists of four panels (two in the front and two in the back) and usually comes in brown, black, pink, or light green. The dress goes with bright pink or white "yem"(undergarment), "non quai thao" (traditional hat), a "khan mo qua" (crow's beak kerchief), and "guoc moc" (wooden clogs). This dress was most common in North Vietnam and was usually worn by peasant women. After reading many webpages about this dress, some said that this dress is just another variation of the ao dai and others say that the invention of the ao dai deprived from the ao tu than. I guess the only ones that know the answer were the ancestors. Seeing how many layers and props that has to be worn with this dress, even though i have never worn it, I can imagine it being uncomfortable. The fact that it is made out of silk and peasants wear it to work, made me rethink that it might be comfortable if even working peasants are able to wear it while working. The North really did succeed at distinguishing themselves apart from the the South.
Ao Ba Ba- is the simplest and easiest type of Vietnamese dress compare to the the others. It is worn by both men and women in South Vietnam especially for those in rural areas. Yay finally something that men can also wear! Unlike the other outfits, this is not a dress. It is basically a long sleeved shirt with two flaps split equally at two sides of the waist worn with a pair of silk pants. The front part of the shirt is usually decorated with middle button line and two pockets at the bottom. I personally don't like button up shirts because it is too complicated to wear. But if I was living in the rural area farming, then I would definitely wear the ao ba ba, because the working in a shirt is more comfortable then a gown. This outfit is made out of silk or some soft fabric and it usually comes in dark colors. I have never work an ao ba ba before, but I can imagine the outfit being comfortable to the fact that I would can go to sleep with it as my pajamas. Why? Well the fabric is soft and thin also if it was not comfortable, the farmers would not wear it to work.
Ao Tu Than- also known as the four-panel tunic is the oldest type of Vietnamese traditional dress. It consists of four panels (two in the front and two in the back) and usually comes in brown, black, pink, or light green. The dress goes with bright pink or white "yem"(undergarment), "non quai thao" (traditional hat), a "khan mo qua" (crow's beak kerchief), and "guoc moc" (wooden clogs). This dress was most common in North Vietnam and was usually worn by peasant women. After reading many webpages about this dress, some said that this dress is just another variation of the ao dai and others say that the invention of the ao dai deprived from the ao tu than. I guess the only ones that know the answer were the ancestors. Seeing how many layers and props that has to be worn with this dress, even though i have never worn it, I can imagine it being uncomfortable. The fact that it is made out of silk and peasants wear it to work, made me rethink that it might be comfortable if even working peasants are able to wear it while working. The North really did succeed at distinguishing themselves apart from the the South.
Ao Ba Ba- is the simplest and easiest type of Vietnamese dress compare to the the others. It is worn by both men and women in South Vietnam especially for those in rural areas. Yay finally something that men can also wear! Unlike the other outfits, this is not a dress. It is basically a long sleeved shirt with two flaps split equally at two sides of the waist worn with a pair of silk pants. The front part of the shirt is usually decorated with middle button line and two pockets at the bottom. I personally don't like button up shirts because it is too complicated to wear. But if I was living in the rural area farming, then I would definitely wear the ao ba ba, because the working in a shirt is more comfortable then a gown. This outfit is made out of silk or some soft fabric and it usually comes in dark colors. I have never work an ao ba ba before, but I can imagine the outfit being comfortable to the fact that I would can go to sleep with it as my pajamas. Why? Well the fabric is soft and thin also if it was not comfortable, the farmers would not wear it to work.