Vietnam’s fashion industry is witnessing a new wave of young designers who are taking a different path - delving deep into material origins, preserving traditional craftsmanship, and emphasizing cultural identity and community engagement.

As Vietnam’s emerging cultural industries take shape, fashion has been identified as one of the 12 high-potential sectors targeted for focused development.

Stepping onto the global stage

Vietnamese contemporary fashion has moved beyond its former role as a mere garment outsourcer, increasingly asserting itself as a creative industry that merges traditional craftsmanship with modern design thinking. Through this synergy, it conveys cultural and historical values that appeal to both local and international audiences.

While Vietnam’s earlier appearances on international runways were mostly limited to cultural exchange - often featuring traditional garments like the ao dai, ao tu than, or ba ba - today, numerous Vietnamese brands are present at major global cultural and entertainment events.

Rather than chasing trends, many successful Vietnamese designers draw inspiration from traditional culture and use local materials, telling stories of Vietnamese heritage through fashion design.

In recent years, international celebrities have appeared at film festivals, beauty pageants, music videos, and global tours dressed in Vietnamese designs. Designers such as Cong Tri, Do Manh Cuong, Thuy Nguyen, Le Thanh Hoa, Chung Thanh Phong, Nguyen Minh Tuan, and Tran Hung, as well as brands like Fanci Club, L Soul, La Lune, Bupbes, TimTay, and CoolMate, have earned recognition at home and abroad. Their collections are widely distributed through malls and e-commerce platforms, proving that Vietnam can be a hub for fashion creativity - not just manufacturing.

A noteworthy highlight is designer Cong Tri’s Autumn-Winter 2025 collection featured in Vogue, using Lanh My A silk from Tan Chau, An Giang - a prized treasure of Vietnam’s textile heritage. Brands like La Pham and Kilomet109 have elevated handwoven brocade by the H’Mong ethnic group into high fashion on London runways.

Gen Z designer Phan Dang Hoang (born in 2000) introduced works inspired by painter Nguyen Phan Chanh, Vietnamese ceramics, and do paper to Milan, the fashion capital of Italy. “National pride is my endless creative source,” Hoang shared. “I want to help bring Vietnamese fashion to the world and let more people discover Vietnam’s beauty, creating more opportunities for designers and fashion lovers here.”

At the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2025 (VIFW 2025) held in Ho Chi Minh City this June under the theme Shining identity, many collections featured silk, hemp, and linen inspired by regional heritage. For example, Vu Viet Ha’s Ma Dao recreated the Bac Ha Horse Racing Festival (Lao Cai) through hand embroidery and brocade, while Cao Minh Tien’s Thoai Mong honored quan ho folk songs and the Mother Goddess religion with costumes rich in Kinh Bac culture. Tien also designed outfits for Hoa Minzy’s music video Bac Bling, helping introduce regional beauty to the youth.

Beyond creating economic value, many designers view collaboration with artisans as a means of cultural preservation. For years, designer Minh Hanh has incorporated brocade from the Northwest and Central Highlands into ao dai and everyday wear.

Craft villages such as Lung Tam (linen, Tuyen Quang), Nam Cao (silk, Hung Yen), Quat Dong (hand embroidery, Hanoi), and Ma Chau (silk, Da Nang) have become sources of inspiration and materials for urban fashion. Many ancient patterns, dyes, and weaving techniques - some nearly lost - are being revived through community partnerships.

Embracing digital transformation

Alongside integrating Vietnamese fabrics and silhouettes, another trend is transforming the industry: digital commerce. Emerging brands and designers no longer need expensive storefronts to present their work. Instead, high-quality pieces with engaging content are going viral on social media and online marketplaces, making Vietnamese fashion more accessible than ever. Young consumers increasingly prefer “Made in Vietnam” products for their signature designs, eco-friendly materials, reasonable prices, and meaningful cultural narratives. Tourists from Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and China are also drawn by viral shopping clips in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, treating it as part of their cultural travel experience.

A survey conducted at the 2025 Sustainable Consumption Forum in Hanoi on July 2 found that 74% of Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products. Among them, youth aged 18–38 make up about 47% of the population and are the main force driving responsible consumption. They not only seek fashionable designs but also care about the story behind each piece, the values it represents, and how it reflects their identity.

Experts say that sustainable fashion in Vietnam is built on three key pillars: using bio-based or recycled materials, reviving handicraft techniques, and building transparent supply chains. This requires long-term investment and collaboration across sectors.

Take Kilomet109, for instance - a brand founded in 2009 when “sustainable fashion” was still a novel concept. It has pursued a slow-but-sure approach, controlling the entire supply chain from raw material cultivation to weaving, dyeing, and design. Today, it collaborates with H’Mong, Nung, Khmer, and Thai artisans in remote areas, preserving rich cultural identities.

Other brands also work with households and craft cooperatives, creating products that carry cultural and community value. Fashion linked with livelihood and heritage conservation elevates the industry’s social impact in the modern era.

At the industrial scale, aimed at global markets, some Vietnamese enterprises are successfully developing fabrics from pineapple leaves, lotus fibers, coffee grounds, and oyster shells - materials prized for their breathability and environmental friendliness.

However, challenges remain. Designer Thu Cuc, founder of Cuc Handmade (which uses fabric woven by the Thai people in Phu Tho and Nghe An), said: “Handmade fabrics cost three to four times more than industrial ones of similar color and durability. Sustainable fashion requires skilled labor and a stable order flow - without that, survival is difficult.”

Sustainable brands also face competition from cheap imports, while lacking access to preferential loans or specific policy support. Regional differences in consumer habits also pose major hurdles.

Le Thi Quynh Trang, President of the ASEAN Designers Association, emphasized the need for strong coordination among designers, businesses, regulatory bodies, and professional organizations to build industry-wide policies. “Many Vietnamese designers have great design thinking,” she said, “but need to apply technology, boost competitiveness, and connect with global supply chains. Only then can 'Made in Vietnam' fashion become a true creative industry - infused with Vietnamese soul, connecting people, culture, and the environment in every product.”

Nhan Dan