Honoring the Past. Creating New Traditions.

The Ao Dai Festival, a multi-dimensional experience celebrating Vietnamese art and culture returns to downtown San Jose, on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Dancers and stilt walkers dressed in the traditional Ao Dai and scores of musicians and drummers ignite the festivities in a spectacular pre-show outdoor ceremony set against a tapestry of colored flags and red silk banners.

The evening dinner-show extravaganza presents the mythological tale of “Sơn Tinh, Thủy Tinh”

“[Ao Dai Festival] is a festival that all should enjoy and support. A truly San Jose experience.”

– Ash Kalra, San Jose City Council

Ao Dai Festival Outdoor Event

(Free to the public)

Princess Coming-of-Age Celebration: An introduction of the mythological tale of “Sơn Tinh (mountain), Thủy Tinh, (water)” featuring traditional Vietnamese music and the lastest fashions of Ao Dai Designers.

“Sơn Tinh, Thủy Tinh”

As the princess Mỵ Nương has reached the age of marriage, her father, King Hung calls for prospective suitors (Ao Dai designers) to battle for the hand of his daughter.

The designer who can dazzle the princess with the most beautiful Ao Dai will win her heart and become her husband.

The outdoor event presents the first battle in this epic tale.

The Festival includes free Outdoor events

• Festival Ceremony
• Featuring dozens of Ao Dai models, horn players and drummers
• Procession of the princess and her court with riders on horseback
• Dragon Dance Troupe
• Ao Dai stilt walkers

Evening Event

(for ticket holders only)

• Indoor – Literary Discussion sponsored by Lac Viet Literary Group
• Cocktail Reception: gourmet wine, hors d’oeuvres, and meeting all of the artists/designers
• Designer’s Walk
• Indoor – Dinner-Show featuring the production of Sơn Tinh Thuỷ Tinh
• Exquisite Ao Dai  International Designers dazzle with exquisite creations from traditional to modern
• Humanitarian Awards
• Ao Dai Fashion Awards
• Live Auction, and more!