In the framework of the 8th Southern Folk Cake Festival - 2019, the evening show named "Áo bà ba - Forever beauty" has excited many visitors. Nearly 100 models in hundreds of áo bà ba perform on elegant stage imbued with national identity. The organizers of the evening show cleverly recounted the history of áo bà ba. A woman dressed in a loose, dirt-colored áo bà ba holding a sickle or carrying a paddle on shoulder has created a picture of the people reclaiming the South. Then wearing black-and-white checkered khăn rằn headscarf together with black áo bà ba tunic, the picture of sisters and mothers crossing rivers, bridges, as well as creeping through the jungle in the wartime reminisces of a "difficult but heroic" time.

And today, áo bà ba is colorful and diversified in style making spectators excited. Áo bà ba is no longer a rural garment belonging to the past. Now it becomes a garment for confident models to perform on the fashion stage. Mr. Nguyen Phu, Director of Tay Do Model Company - the implementation agency, said: This is a program that I put a lot of work and efforts into. The Participating models are people who have won high prizes in beauty contests, some are students or even boys and girls at around 7-8 years old ... They all wear áo bà ba tell its story. "That proves the popularity and usability of the traditional Southern Vietnamese garment", Mr. Phu said. Besides the contestant's performance, there are also comments on the meaning of áo bà ba over time, helping viewers better understand the traditional garment imbued with the cultural identity of the Southern people.

At this year's festival, Hong Anh Dance group (Can Tho City) also has a booth for displaying and renting áo bà ba to serve visitors. Many young people are excited to try the hometown garment, take pictures and go on a pilgrimage to search for “old values”. Nguyen Hoang Tram Anh, a native of Ninh Kieu district, said: "This is the first time I wear áo bà ba, it is strange but beautiful!". In addition, in order to show the Southern identity, most women and men, at the display booths and traditional cake stalls, choose to wear áo bà ba. Thanks to that, the hometown tunic is honored greatly.

Mr. Nguyen Khanh Tung, Director of Investment Trade Promotion Center and Can Tho Exhibition Fair, Standing Vice Chairman of the Southern Folk Cake Festival 2019 Organizing Committee, said: “Áo bà ba - Forever beauty gala dinner aims to honor the traditional shirt that makes up the identity of the Southern people. The organizers thereby expect to expand and organize this event periodically to spread the beautiful image of áo bà ba like how Ho Chi Minh successfully did with ao dai through the Ao Dai Festival.

There are many theories about the origin of the Bà ba shirt. Some people believed that it’s an innovation of the clothes in the North of Vietnam before. Some people said that it was a modification from the garment of the Cham and the Chinese ... There are also people agreeing with the hypothesis that the Bà ba shirt appeared in the first half of the nineteenth century, was innovated by the scientist Truong Vinh Ky from the shirt of Penang Islanders (Chinese Malaysians) to Vietnamese people’s tunic ... But it can be affirmed that, no matter where and when it was born, the present áo bà ba is a unique outfit and imbued with the identity of the Southern Vietnam people. The talents and aesthetics of Southern Vietnamese have created a style for their own. For now, the reason why áo bà ba is varied in names is a never-ending cultural story.

From the "Áo bà ba - Forever beauty" gala dinner, there is an expectation of a áo bà ba festival imbued with the Southern features will be organized in the future. At that time, the festival will not only honor the models but also the clever tailors who skillfully design many wonderful áo bà ba.