This iconic dress will be showcased as Ao Dai Festival in San Jose celebrates Vietnamese culture

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Since the Fall of Saigon 50 years ago, more than 100,000 Vietnamese Americans now call San Jose home.

Every May, the Ao Dai Festival brings the community together to honor and preserve Vietnamese heritage. The festival is considered the biggest Vietnamese fashion event in the United States. This year, it'll be held on Mother's Day, May 11th at Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.

ABC7 News looked at the iconic dress and how a new generation of Vietnamese Americans are taking tradition to the next level.

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The ao dai flows, it hugs the figure, and is an iconic symbol of Vietnamese culture.

"An ao dai is a traditional Vietnamese dress that has existed in Viet history for centuries, and it has evolved over time with design and the material of what it is made of," said Alexander Nguyen, an Ao Dai Festival board member. "It is a representation of what our community is."

The ao dai is the national dress of Vietnam.

"This is the ao dai, it has really nice details here at the top, here in the center, above the ankles," said Nguyen. "A lot of people have the perception that an ao dai is only worn by women, but it's also worn by men. And they wear it proudly. So, if you go to a Vietnamese wedding, you see the bride and groom wearing ao dai together."

Nguyen is a lawyer by day.

"I want to be an advocate for the Vietnamese community," he said.

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But his real passion is keeping a special tradition alive by following the footsteps of late attorney Jenny Do, who started the Ao Dai Festival 15 years ago in San Jose.

"She wanted to carry on the traditions that she brought when she came here from Vietnam," said Nguyen.

The annual event every May brings together a thousand people for a vibrant celebration of Vietnamese culture. The event showcases fashion, music, art, and dance.

In 2024 Assemblymember Ash Kalra, helped bring about Ao Dai Week-- recognizing the significance of the iconic dress.

Nguyen says whether it's a simple ao dai or an extravagant one, the cultural significance of the Vietnamese long dress is priceless.

For the next generation of Vietnamese Americans, it's an important reminder.

"To carry on our stories. Know our history. Learn our roots. Know our language because it's very important to keep these things in our community. We don't want them to be lost. The more we know about ourselves, the more we can do for ourselves. The more that We can inspire," said Nguyen.