In fact, the Vietnamese government appears to be on the way to promote áo dài as a symbol of the nation. For instance, its national carrier, Vietnam Airlines (Hãng Hàng không Quốc gia Việt Nam) used red áo dài as the uniform of choice for its flight stewardesses. There seemed to be the desire for the graceful áo dài to be the first image that greeted foreigners as they are being served aboard the airline. As Singaporeans all know, there is a certain idea of performity in allowing national costume to be used for national airlines. The uniforms of air stewardesses encapsulate a little of the complex culture in her country of origin that is captured and refashioned to be presented to the world. The image of a “Vietnam Girl” is very much engendered by the ao dai as the “Singapore Girl” is by her sarong kebaya. áo dài, then, is seen as a face of Vietnam that was favoured for cultural export.
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