Áo dài the way the dress ties feminine beauty to Vietnamese nationalism, especially in the form of "Miss Ao Dai" pageants, popular both among overseas Vietnamese and in Vietnam itself. "Ao dai" is one of the few Vietnamese words that appear in English-language dictionaries. "Tà sau": back flap "Tà trước": front flap The ao dai can be worn with a "nón lá" (conical leaf hat), a style associated with Huế. On weddings and other formal occasions, a circular headgear called a "khăn đóng" is worn. For centuries, peasant women typically wore a halter top () underneath a blouse or overcoat, alongside a
Áo dài on both sides, features preserved in the later ao dai. Compared to a modern ao dai, the front and back flaps were much broader and the fit looser and much shorter. It had a high collar and was buttoned in the same fashion as a modern ao dai. Women could wear the dress with the top few buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of their "yếm" underneath. Huế's Đồng Khánh Girl's High School, which opened in 1917, was widely praised for the ao dai uniform worn by its students. The first modernized ao dai appeared at a Paris fashion show in