Áo dài the "ngũ thân" as a modern dress in the 1920s and 1930s. The updated look was promoted by the artists and magazines of Tự Lực văn đoàn (Self-Reliant Literary Group) as a national costume for the modern era. In the 1950s, Saigon designers tightened the fit to produce the version worn by Vietnamese women today. The dress was extremely popular in South Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s. On Tết and other occasions, Vietnamese men may wear an "áo gấm" (brocade robe), a version of the ao dai made of thicker fabric. Academic commentary on the ao dai emphasizes
Li Ao Li Ao Li Ao (, also spelled Lee Ao; 25 April 1935 – 18 March 2018) was a Chinese-Taiwanese writer, social commentator, historian, and independent politician. Li has been called one of the most important modern East Asian essayists today; his critics have called him as an intellectual narcissist. He was a vocal critic of both the main political parties in Taiwan today, the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party. Although he favored reunification with the People's Republic of China (PRC), especially under the "One country, two systems" policy, Li rejected being labeled "Pan-Blue" because of his opposition to the