Saigon Ladies.

Young Vietnamese women in the larger cities broke with the tradition of wearing an Ao Dai and opted for more Western type of clothing.

However, in the rural areas everyone wore black silk pants, white tops and conical bamboo hats. For church the females would wear the traditional ao dai dress over a pair of slacks.

The colour of the ao dai was all important. Young girls wear pure white, fully lined outfits symbolizing their purity. As they grow older but are still unmarried they move into soft pastel shades. Only married women wear gowns in strong, rich colours, usually over white or black pants.

Photo taken: July 1966