National Costume as Cultural Nostalgia

I do not know whether it was a blessing that I was born and raised in Vietnam. Having lived there for sixteen years, I was exposed to ao dai as an everyday dress (school/work uniform). I used to wonder why people make such a fuss about ao dai: how it is so elegant or how beautifully it compliments the wearer. Yet now that I'm thinking back, there was always a fascinating anticipation everyone (