Photos: Campus Fashion Show Showcases Vietnamese Heritage and Celebrates Diplomatic Ties

On Friday, October 3, a collaboration between the Global Vietnam Studies Program (GVSP) at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and renowned Vietnamese fashion designer Minh Hanh transformed Revson Plaza, on Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus, into a glamorous if unlikely stage for international fashion.

The occasion was “The Journey Connecting Heritage,” a pageant of more than 200 silk ao dai (the Vietnamese national dress) and hand embroidered and brocade costumes created by Minh Hanh and modeled by Columbia student volunteers. A celebration of heritage, the fashion show was the latest in a series of GVSP programs commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States.

The show included five collections that demonstrated Minh Hanh’s eclecticism and her ability to combine cosmopolitan influence with traditional practice. In the ao dais and other clothing on display, lotus-themed designs and paintings by contemporary artists Dinh Cuong and Be Ky were interspersed with silk from Bao Loc and Zeng brocade, a textile long associated with the Ta Oi ethnic community.

Eco-friendly products made from sedge (a grasslike plant) were sourced from Kim Son, a craft village in Ninh Binh province; palm-leaf conical hats (another icon of Vietnam recognized around the world) came from Chuong Village.

As further evidence of Minh Hanh’s commitment to helping sustain traditional practices, she was accompanied at the Columbia event by Huynh Tan Phuoc, a veteran silk craftsman from Bao Loc with nearly 40 years of experience at his loom, and Ho Thi Hop, a Ta Oi artisan from A Luoi, Hue, who has woven Zeng brocade for over half a century.

Minh Hanh’s success in bringing Vietnam’s cultural identity to the world stage has won her international renown. She has previously presented in Rome, Milan, Paris, and Moscow, and among many other honors was named a Chevalier of Culture and Arts by the Government of France in 2006. The October 3 Columbia event furthered her lifelong mission of using fashion as a bridge between cultures. 

After the event, director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute Lien-Hang T. Nguyen offered a tribute: "Minh Hanh is Vietnam's most understated yet deeply influential cultural ambassador, and we were fortunate to host her inaugural fashion show in NYC. She has elevated the Vietnamese ao dai to the global stage and in the process, elegantly promotes Vietnam's culture and soft power to new heights."

But perhaps the last word on the October 3 event belongs to the Columbia parent who told the Weatherhead Institute that afterwards her daughter “returned home tired but with a sense of pride, confidence, and a deeper connection to her roots and fashion. For a 15-year-old Vietnamese American girl growing up in New York City... it was a memory and a source of cultural grounding. As a mother, I am moved by the intergenerational, cross-cultural, and artistic dialogue each of you created."

A sequel to “The Journey Connecting Heritage” is planned for November, when the Global Vietnam Studies Program will collaborate with Hanoi’s Temple of Literature–Quoc Tu Giam on another event centered on cultural exchange. Watch the Weatherhead website for further information. 

Above, L to R: WEAI Artist in Residence Tony Bui; Chinh Chu, Founder and Senior Managing Director of CC Capital; WEAI Director Lien-Hang T. Nguyen; designer Minh Hanh; Pham Thi Huyen Mai; and Ambassador Đỗ Hùng Việt at Columbia University on Oct. 3, 2025.

All photographs: Mr. Hai Dong. 

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