Chiron Duong x DNNLY Vietnam Project
Documenting the áo dài through Vietnamese landscapes
Áo dài designed by Duc Studio, photographed by Chiron Duong at Xuan Huong Lake Park in Da Lat, Vietnam. Image taken from DDNLY’s website.
Vietnamese photographer Chiron Duong photographed the áo dài in ten parks across five Vietnamese cities. Working with interdisciplinary collective DNNLY Vietnam, the project situates the work of five áo dài designers—DADA, Lơ Silk, Huy Vo, Duc Studio, and Trang Bui—in locations from Hanoi to Vung Tau. The áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese long tunic worn over trousers, is the focus of the project, which contextualises the garment against diverse landscapes in the country.
Áo dài designed by DADA, photographed by Chiron Duong at Le Van Tam Park in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Image taken from DDNLY’s website.
Áo dài designed by Huy Vo, photographed by Chiron Duong at the Thien Mu Pagoda Boat Dock in Hue City, Vietnam. Image taken from DDNLY’s website.
The project builds upon Duong's Portraits of Áo Dài, where he reflected on the garment's influence on his practice, “The áo dài has always influenced my photography style, even when I am unconscious of it,” he says. “It is both an adjective and a noun, and represents the dichotomy between the simple and simultaneously strong and seductive Vietnamese women.” This understanding informs his approach to photographing the traditional dress in a variety of settings.
Áo dài designed by Lơ Silk, photographed by Chiron Duong at the Botanical Garden in Hanoi, Vietnam. Image taken from DDNLY’s website.
Áo dài designed by Trang Bui, photographed by Chiron Duong at the Tam Thang Tower in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Image taken from DDNLY’s website.
Duong's process deliberately avoids imposing uniform aesthetics across locations, instead allowing each park's unique characteristics to shape the photographic narrative. The resulting images feature models photographed across diverse park typologies from coastal promenades to riverside gardens, with expressions that range from joyful to contemplative, rebellious to peaceful. The juxtaposition of the reimagined áo dài on the models against the unique backdrops deftly captures the evolution of both the garment and Vietnamese society.