 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Wade. And I'm Colin Lauver. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live. Vũ Nhat Anh stands on a performance stage. Bright lights shine on her from above. Hundreds of people are watching her. They are interested in her beautiful clothing. She is wearing a kind of traditional Vietnamese clothing called an áo zài or áo yài. Nhioc arm walks slowly across the stage. Her áo zài moves gently side to side. This is because it is made of soft silk, a light flowing material. The áo zài is two pieces of clothing. The bottom part is loose trousers or pants. The top is a long fitted shirt or gown. Nhioc arms trousers are white. Her gown is a golden yellow colour. It covers her arms down to her wrists. And it fits tightly around her chest and neck. It is long and hangs almost to the ground. The gown is split at the sides. It opens on the sides from her waist to the floor. As Nhioc arm walks across the floor, she looks as if she is floating. On that night, Vũ Nhioc Anh won the 2012 Miss Vietnam Áo Zài competition. The judges thought she looked the most beautiful in her áo zài. It is a great honor to achieve the title Miss Áo Zài. This is because the áo zài is more than just traditional Vietnamese clothing. It is a symbol of the history and beauty of the Vietnamese culture and people. Today's spotlight is on the Vietnamese Áo Zài. The áo zài has a long history in Vietnam. Experts believe forms of the áo zài have existed for hundreds of years. It is part of Vietnamese identity. But that does not mean it has stayed the same. The people making áo zài have used their designs to react to changes in culture. At different times, French or Chinese culture has influenced áo zài designs. Sometimes, people changed their designs to be more like other cultures. At other times, people designed áo zài to show that Vietnam was a free and independent country. During the 1930s, one of the most famous designers was Nguyen Catuang. He was also known as Le Meur in French. He made a new design that was particularly for women. He was influenced by some of the new French clothing. But what he designed was not French. Instead, it was a new modern version of the áo zài. Before, the áo zài was loose and plain. But the new design was more fitted. This modern áo zài became very popular in parts of Vietnam from 1960 to 1975. After 1975, Vietnamese women did not wear the áo zài as often. The Vietnamese economy was struggling. Most people did not think paying for a nice áo zài was necessary. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the áo zài became popular again. In 1989, a Ho Chi Minh City newspaper began the first Miss áo zài competition. 16,000 people attended the competition. But this was only the beginning of the áo zài's new popularity. From Ho Chi Minh City, Miss áo zài competitions spread around the world. They went to places like Long Beach, California in the United States and the City of Toronto in Canada. Today, there are many countries that have large populations of Vietnamese immigrants. When these people moved out of Vietnam, they brought the áo zài with them. Originally, each woman's áo zài was made just for her. Áo zài makers sewed each áo zài using only a sharp needle, thread and her hands. A woman visited her áo zài maker many times to make sure her áo zài fit perfectly. Today, factories produce áo zài's in large numbers. These áo zài's are sold in Vietnam and around the world. The export of the áo zài has influenced global clothing designers as far away as Paris, France and New York City. Even now, the áo zài continues to change. Women want different things from their clothing. They want to keep the áo zài, but they want to react to changes in global clothing as well. Still, wearing the áo zài has special meaning. Kim Lai Yingling is a Vietnamese-American writer. On her website, she explained what the áo zài meant to her as a child. I remember when I was a little girl. I would walk into my mom and dad's rooms. Behind the door hung long pieces of fabric. I knew these beautiful pieces of material were going to be made into áo zài's. I remember staring up at my mom when she wore her áo zài. I would think how beautiful she looked. I could not wait until I could have an áo zài for myself. We asked Vietnamese spotlight listeners when Vietnamese women wear the áo zài. Listener Cong Le explained, Women usually wear the áo zài during official holiday celebrations. Listener Trinh Hoang said, I think all women in Vietnam wear the áo zài at least one time when they get married. And Nguyen Tran told us, When I studied in high school, I wore the áo zài six days each week. In Vietnam, women wear many different colors of áo zài. Usually younger women wear light colors. And older women wear darker or bolder colors. Spotlight listener Tuan Ong Nguyen explained, Every different áo zài color and design shows the beauty and character of the person wearing it. For example, students wear a white áo zài. This shows purity, innocence, and young beauty. A woman may wear a pink áo zài at her wedding when she marries. This shows graceful beauty. The áo zài continues to be popular in Vietnam. And people in Vietnam are proud to share the áo zài with people around the world. As Tuan Anh writes, The áo zài is the pride of the nation. It is the pride of every woman, every time she puts it on. Have you ever seen an áo zài? Does your country have any special clothing? Tell us about it. You can leave a comment on our website or email us at radio at radioenglish.net. You can also comment on Facebook at facebook.com slash spotlight radio. The writers of this program were Robin Baseline and Adam Navis. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called Vietnam's Beautiful Áo Zài. Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.