Ao Dai rental services are in high demand as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches.
In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake (2015), shops renting traditional Vietnamese dresses (áo dài) were crowded with people trying on, renting, and buying. Many shops remained open until 10 pm and still had customers.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Trang owns a shop renting out traditional Vietnamese dresses (áo dài) and party attire located on Ngo Quyen Street, Hung Dung Ward. In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), despite being close to her due date, the number of customers booking appointments to try on and rent dresses surged, so she enlisted her husband's help. Even after 10 PM on the 24th day of the lunar month, Ms. Trang was still diligently advising customers on choosing and renting áo dài.
Ms. Trang said that on normal days, regular customers contact her online to choose their dresses and then come to the store for makeup. If they need photography services, her husband will handle that. New customers usually come in person to try on and choose designs. However, in the past week, the number of customers renting clothes has doubled or tripled compared to normal days, so she has had to order more delivery services for regular customers and personally advise first-time renters. “The rental price is 50-80 thousand dong per set of ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) on normal days, and 120 thousand dong per set during Tet (Lunar New Year), with rentals available throughout the holiday,” Ms. Trang added.
Along Vo Thi Sau street in Truong Thi ward, there are quite a few shops that rent and sell ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses). These days, these shops are constantly crowded with people coming and going. Customers usually come in groups, and the majority are students.
Ms. Hoang Thi Nga and her daughter went to a shop selling and renting ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) on Vo Thi Sau Street to rent two sets for their planned spring outing in early 2025, at a price of 150,000 VND per set. The shop rents them out from the Tet holiday until the 10th day of the first lunar month at the latest. Ms. Nga said that to choose a suitable ao dai, both mother and daughter arrived quite early, selecting designs and trying on clothes. There were many people renting, buying, and choosing, and the aisles between the rows of clothes were narrow, making it quite difficult to navigate through the crowd.
The rental price for one ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) for 24 hours is 120,000 - 150,000 VND, depending on the material and condition of the dress. Ms. Nga rented two sets at 150,000 VND each. The shop required a 500,000 VND deposit and her citizen ID information. An additional 50,000 VND surcharge applies if renting throughout the Tet holiday, not including accessories.
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The accessories that go with the ao dai are also quite diverse, ranging from headscarves and fabric head coverings to fans, flower branches, silk scarves, and conical hats… all available at the shop for 20-40 thousand dong. The shop owner said that due to the large number of customers, the shop is open from morning to night and plans to serve customers until the 28th day of the lunar month.
During this period, there are quite a lot of group rentals, mainly young people renting for Tet (Lunar New Year) photo shoots. Individual customers usually rent throughout Tet, with each person renting 1-3 sets of ao dai to wear during the spring festivities.