mond shaped undergarment that was most often worn in white, black, bright pink, or red. It resembles the Chinese Dudou as well as the modern halter top with strings to tie at the neck and back. This Yem bodice is usually then tucked underneath a long skirt, worn underneath the tunic-jacket as well. The last touch are the silk sashes which are tied at the waist in a myriad of styles like belts, most often over the two front tunic flaps.
Some scholars insist that the Ao Dai itself was a reincarnation of the Ao Tu Than in combination with other influences, as both the Ao Dai and Ao Tu Than are flowing tunics.
The dress as it is most typically worn today tends to be extremely colorful, using different hues throughout the dress, from the sleeves to the flaps to the Yem to the skirt.
Girl in Ao Tu Than playing Moon Lute
One of the most common styles is the tradition of wrapping hair in cloth, an indigenous practice with a long history in Vietnam.
One of the most popular northern hairstyles involving wrapping hair in cloth that is often seen with the Ao Tu Than is the "Duoi Ga" or "Rooster Tail" hairstyle. To make the "Duoi Ga", the woman usually takes a strip of fabric used for the hair known generally as "Khan Dong" (which once again, varies on material, color and design based on rank and occasion) and covers her hair so that the fabric forms a kind of tube around it. She then forms a crown around her head, and with the bit of hair leftover which is not covered by the cloth she will leave dangling to the side of her head like a ponytail, or more accurately in this case – a “rooster tail”.
A variation of this style worn at fancier occasions will have the girls covering the remaining piece of hair on top of their head with a black headscarf, in the style of a "crow's beak". This is fittingly called "khan mo qua" (crow's beak scarf) due to the sharp edge it makes at the front, similar to a crow's beak.
For weddings and other special occasions, Khan Dong can also be adorned with an abundance of flowers and jewelry. Khan Dong can often be made like hats (still built up of fabric), which only require the wearer to put on rather than involving any wrapping of hair.
Some will liken Khan Dong to a Turban, though most Khan Dong look more like heavy headbands. There did exist a variation of Khan Dong with much resemblance to the Middle Eastern Turban, worn to some extent in the past, notably by scholars.
The Ao Tu Than has almost disappeared in terms of day to day use for Vietnamese, at least in urban areas. It can still be seen to some extent in rural areas, mainly in the North.
In South Vietnam, the simpler silk pajamas costume Ao Ba Ba is preferred for day to day use.