Abstract:

"This film considers the visibility of ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese tunic dress, as a gauge of Vietnam's prosperity. Focusing on Trinh, a student at a large Ho Chi Minh City high school, the film explains how short dresses were not only more functional during the war years, but made necessary by an annual ration of two meters. Devastated by the war, the country was unable to provide enough rice to feed its own people. But rice is now an important export commodity. And the Mekong delta, sight of many bloody battles, is now lush with orchards. Traditional ceremonies and religious rituals are celebrated again as Vietnam experiences a cultural rebirth and renewed interest in its heritage, as best demonstrated by the reemergence of traditional dress. However, all this is not without cost: Trinh's mother complains that in order for her daughter to dress properly for school, she must own four or five ao dai."