Page 269 - Trang Phục Việt Nam

The coat was thin gauze with small floral designs which came in deep blue, green, or azure.
The shoes were black and lined with dark blue silk while the socks dark blue, the under part
white.
The Queen’s costumes were more modest in comparison with the King’s. She wore a “9
phoenix” cap, made from horsehair. On the front there was a pattern of 9 golden dragons, 9
golden phoenix, and 9 pieces of silver bồn khoan. She used a hairpin adorned with clouds
and flowers patterns, 1 piece with mountain designs, 12 floral designs, butterflies and many
flower strips to decorate the hair. On the back was a gold phoenix patterns, 4 silver brooches
and straps of 198 pearls attached, 231 beads of crystal attached to the cap. The turban was
made of azure fine silk, brimmed with golden silk and 4 golden rings, 4 threads of silk.
The golden gauze court robe, embroidered with the pattern of round flowers with two figures
of phoenix inside (called hoa đoàn phượng), had a woven pattern of waves flowing downward.
The collar was made of white fine silk, the bra made of trừu, with floral and phoenix designs.
Her coat was snow white fine silk, woven with golden hoa đoàn phượng and lined with white
silk, a white silk strip of cloth being fastened to the waist. The waistband was gauze and
covered with golden fine silk, adorned with 18 square golden pieces, with a glass medal
inlaid with gold flowers and gold buckles. Shoes of red silk were decorated with a green
phoenix. Socks were made of white shiny fine silk.
Costumes of the common people
In the fifth year of King Gia Long’s reign (1806), a dress code of black clothing was
established for the common people. The turban should be black, garments with black
crossed collar, and black shoes and socks. No more special jewelry was allowed.

In 1838, King Minh Mạng implemented a royal decree: servants of the upper class or in
officials’ palaces could only wear the clothes of common people, but not luxurious clothes.
Musicians and singers were permitted to wear caps with designs of serpent-like-monsters
and flowers. The robes could come in red or colorful designs with clouds and fighting dragon
images, but not dragon-patterned cap or golden court robe. Anyone found breaking the rules,
whether district governance officer, communal authority, or landlord, all had to be punished
according to various regulations (beaten with hundreds of whips, fettered and humiliated in
front of the populace).
From the eighth year of King Minh Mạng’s reign (1827) until the eighteenth year (1837), there
were 4 changes in dress codes for people from Quảng Bình to the South.
Costumes of women (North, Central region and South Vietnam)
Everyday costumes
During the Nguyễn dynasty controlled by the French, women of the three main regions in
Vietnam often wore short shirts (called áo cánh) as casual clothes. These short shirts were
made of brown giấn fabric and it had an unbuttoned round neck, thin borders and open
panels. The inner bra was made of silk, yellow, tawny or light brown colored fabric. The bra
under the garment was a square of cloth that was diagonally wrapped over the breasts of the