Áo dài deemed politically controversial, ao dai fashion design is supported by the Vietnamese government. It is often called "áo dài Việt Nam" to link it to patriotic feelings. Designer Le Si Hoang is a celebrity in Vietnam and his shop in Saigon is the place to visit for those who admire the dress. In Hanoi, tourists get fitted with ao dai on Luong Van Can Street. The elegant city of Huế in the central region is known for its ao dai, "nón lá" (traditional leaf hats), and well-dressed women. The ao dai is now a standard for weddings, for celebrating Tết
The dress first large-scale scientific study on the dress was published in "Current Biology" three months after the image went viral. The study, which involved 1,400 respondents, found that 57% saw the dress as blue and black; 30% saw it as white and gold; 11% saw it as blue and brown; and 10% could switch between any of the colour combinations. A small number saw it as blue and gold. Women and older people disproportionately saw the dress as white and gold. The researchers further found that if the dress was shown in artificial yellow-coloured lighting almost all respondents saw the dress