Vietnamese man pursues career of making Nguyen Dynasty costumes

A man from the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai has been following his passion of making Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945) royal costumes and accessories.

Administrator

1 April, 2021

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Tran Quang Minh Tan, a sociology graduate, started researching the Nguyen Dynasty royal garments in 2013, seven years before he decided to switch his career to this path in 2020.

He moved from Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai to Hue City — Vietnam’s former imperial capital — for the convenience of his new endeavor.

Tan said what made him come to this decision was the comeback of antique costumes, jewelry, and accessories amongst the Vietnamese youth.

“I find that our ancestors’ clothes are very delicate and elegant,” said Tan.

“I hope the costume revival will become more popular.”

Tran Quang Minh Tan makes buttons for Nguyen Dynasty clothing.

The items Tan is making are mainly jewelry, including earrings, metal pendants, orders of merit, permit card pendants, and accessories for ‘ao dai ngu than’ (‘five-piece ao dai’).

Each product requires meticulous precision from the maker all the way from the process of researching documents and ancient artifacts to finding materials to resemble the original.

According to Tan, despite young Vietnamese people’s interest in ancient costumes, they are still often confused between Vietnamese and Chinese antique garments due to cultural encounters between the two countries.

In the future, Tan wishes to open a showroom to expand his career.

He plans to cooperate with his seniors, who share the same love for Nguyen Dynasty fashion, to continue researching and making products with high esthetic value to catch the trend of longing for ancient clothing among young Vietnamese people.