Áo dài ao dai experienced a revival beginning in late 1980s, when state enterprise and schools began adopting the dress as a uniform again. In 1989, 16,000 Vietnamese attended a Miss Ao Dai Beauty Contest held in Ho Chi Minh City. When the Miss International Pageant in Tokyo gave its "Best National Costume" award to an ao dai-clad Trường Quỳnh Mai in 1995, "Thời Trang Trẻ" (New Fashion Magazine) claimed that Vietnam's "national soul" was "once again honored". An "ao dai craze" followed that lasted for several years and led to wider use of the dress as a school uniform. No longer
Confirmation dress a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood is also symbolized in the Confirmation dress. Often girls still in their childhood wear clothing such as knee-length skirt which allows them to run and play. However, in Confirmation, young girls wear floor-length skirts or dresses symbolizing a transition from their old childhood garments to the attire of grown women. Today, some parishes suggest Confirmation participants wear identical, gender-neutral clothing. This is often the case for white gowns which are to be worn over, and covering, discreet outfits, especially in the Roman Catholic churches The traditional white dress, however, is still commonly