US ambassador's wife walks in ao dai show held by Miss Vietnam

Donning an ao dai with a pattern typically found on an obi (Japanese-style belt) designed by Han in Hanoi last weekend, Knapper (first row, R) had her first experience as a model. She received much praise for her confidence and charm.

Han (L) took care of Knapper backstage. A woman of Japanese descent, Knapper said she was glad to don a design inspired by elements from Japan.

She said that fashion has the power of bringing people from different countries closer to one another.

Nomura Mone (L), attaché of the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, and Kamitani Naoko (R), director of the Japan Information and Culture Center at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, also walked for the show.

Pamela Orozco (L), daughter of the El Salvador ambassador to Vietnam, was another model for the show.

"Ao dai reminds me of the flowers of our country’s iconic maquilishuat tree," she said.

Mrs Ao Dai Vietnam 2018 Phi Thuy Linh donned an ao dai designed with patterns inspired by the flag of South Korea.

Miss Ethnic Vietnam winner Ngoc Anh wore another design with elements from Japan’s obi.
Han said her aim in designing the collection was to bring different countries’ representative cultural elements to her creations. A Hanoi College of Fine Arts graduate,
Han, 34, won the Miss Vietnam title in 2010 and established her own ao dai brand in the same year. Numerous celebrities have been seen donning her designs since then, including actress Do Phuong Oanh, Miss Vietnam 2016 Do My Linh, and Miss Vietnam 2018 runner-up Bui Phuong Nga.