Vietnamese fashion

I sometimes wonder what I might be like if I were born in another country. If I were raised in mid-west America, would I wear sneakers with jeans and a bum bag? Would I be less likely to know the capital cities of other countries?

My curiosity relates to my own identity as a Vietnamese Australian. Obviously where we’re born and how we grow up has a major impact on our tastes and aesthetics.

So, if I had grown up in Saigon, it’s entirely possible I might find this garment (above, featured in Vietnam Airline’s latest in-flight magazine) attractive. I’d probably be wearing mini-dresses with puffed sleeves, and shoes bespangled with sequins.

I love Vietnam (I'm typing this from the Sofitel Saigon), but I am also thankful that I grew up in a country that has a flourishing fashion industry.

I also wonder this: how can a country that designs such immaculate recipes (like the betal leaf-wrapped beef rolls served at the Temple Club… I salivate as I type) also design horrors like this one? I blame the Communists, who stamped out fashion wherever they raised their red flag. And yet, their propaganda is excellent. Ponder that.