The Refugees

The ao dai is a national garment of Vietnam, a long, dress-like silk tunic worn over silk trousers. It is mostly worn by women for formal or celebratory occasions, such as weddings, funerals, and holidays, though there is a male version that is occasionally worn for such occasions as well. In The Refugees, few characters wear ao dais; however, they are depicted in photographs of characters in the pre-war era, linking the garment to a nostalgic view of Vietnam’s pre-communist past. The ao dai’s cultural significance is illustrated by Mrs. Hoa and the narrator’s mother in “War Years.” After church one day, the narrator reflects, “Mrs. Hoa was dressed for­mal­ly, in an ao dai of mid­night vel­vet em­broi­dered with a gold­en lo­tus over the breast. It must have been un­bear­a­bly hot in sum­mer weath­er, but no per­spi­ra­tion showed on her tem­ples” (49). Besides wearing it for the formal occasion of the church service, wearing an ao dai shows Mrs. Hoa’s adherence to her culture’s customs and her unwillingness to let go of the past. In addition, its color, “midnight velvet,” shows the ao dai’s function as a status symbol. Younger and unmarried women typically wear white, while older and unmarried women wear varying pastel colors, such as the peach-colored ao dai the narrator’s mother wears to church.