The contest aims to create a playground for children from the age of four to ten on International Children's Day, to help them understand the traditional culture of Vietnam.

The one day contest will be held on June 1, in the Reunification Palace in HCMC for two groups of children from four to six years old and from seven to 10 years old. The children will be Vietnamese and foreigners living in HCMC.

For the contest, the children will draw on a piece of paper cut in the shape of ao dai. The 30 most beautiful drawings of the two groups will be made into a real kids' fashion collection themed "Ao dai con ve" (The ao dai my baby draw) by Si Hoang.

There will be prizes for these drawings including a first prize worth VND10mil, two second prizes worth VND7mil, three third prizes worth VND5mil and nine consolation prizes worth VND2mil for each group.

Children may apply to enter the contest through their kindergartens and primary schools in the city or to Me Yeu Be magazine (24 Tran Khanh Du Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1) until May 22. The organizers expect to attract 1,000 children and have a back up plan for double that number of contestants.

The 30 winning young artists will model their ao dai designs in a fashion show at the awards ceremony held on June 28.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Si Hoang said that ao dai is his passion. He is concerned that the traditional cultural value of the ao dai will fade in this modern era and the dress will be worn by fewer women, as has happened with kimono in Japan and the hanbok in Korea. That was his motivation for having this contest; he hopes the children drawing the ao dai will come to appreciate the beauty of this traditional dress.

He has also organized three similar contests by himself for street children, children with disadvantages and children at the Children City Palace, and has turned their designs into real ao dai in his fashion collection.

yen The Thanh, vice director of HCMC Department of Culture and Information, said that this contest is just brilliant and that the department will add it to the events of June, the month the department plans to make a month of Family and Children with many of cultural activities.

She also asked the organizers for some of the most beautiful winning ao dai to be exhibited at the "HCMC Days" in Rhone Alps, France before the award ceremony.

This article appeared on english.vietnamnet.vn

May 13, 2008

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