The Nhat Binh dress of Queen Nam Phuong, the last Queen of the Nguyen Dynasty, has made an impressive return and the movie is set in the newly restored Kien Trung Palace.
November 23, 2024 became a memorable milestone for Hue heritage, when the Hue Monuments Conservation Center held a ceremony to receive the UNESCO Documentary Heritage recognition certificate for "The reliefs on nine bronze cauldrons in the Hue Royal Palace", announced the completion of the project "Conservation and overall restoration of Thai Hoa Palace", and broke ground for the project "Restoration and restoration of Can Chanh Palace".
At the same time, the return of the Nhat Binh dress - the ceremonial dress of Queen Nam Phuong, purchased and donated to Hue by the family of Mrs. Phan Thuy Khanh and her son Tran Phan Anh in Hanoi (originally from Hue), added to the brilliance of this holiday.
The Nhat Binh Ao Dai, a costume originating from the Nguyen Dynasty, is not rare, but this one has a historical story, with a clear image associated with Queen Nam Phuong, which is extremely rare. This dress is not only a "historical witness", but also a symbol of the life of an Empress, who always preserved a strong love for the national culture, even though she had to live far from her homeland.
According to photographer Nguyen Tan Anh Phong, who is working with the Hue Monuments Conservation Center to restore and digitize documentary photos related to the Nguyen Dynasty, this Nhat Binh shirt appears in many documentary photos of the family of King Bao Dai and Queen Nam Phuong in 1949-1950 in France.
In particular, in a large oil painting, Queen Nam Phuong is depicted wearing a Nhat Binh shirt, a yellow turban, white satin silk shoes and trousers.
The Ao Nhat Binh of Queen Nam Phuong was once part of the collection of Linda Wrigglesworth, a woman who loved ancient costumes. The collection was established in 1978 and became a private collection after Linda Wrigglesworth Limited was sold in 2008.
This shirt was bought from an elderly European woman in the late 1990s, and recently, it was "repatriated" thanks to the contribution of Mrs. Phan Thuy Khanh's family.
According to photographer Nguyen Tan Anh Phong, the Nhat Binh shirt is made from dark yellow silk fabric, with a lining of brocade of the same color. The decoration on the shirt includes phoenix motifs, eight precious stones and flowers and leaves symbolizing good fortune. The hem of the shirt is embroidered with a water pattern of three mountains and water pillars, while the collar is embroidered with nine phoenixes, which were originally reserved for the Queen Mother.
However, due to the influence of difficult circumstances after King Bao Dai abdicated, this shirt had some changes in embroidery techniques and colors compared to previous Nhat Binh shirts, making the shirt brighter and more outstanding.
The return of this dress not only helps researchers discover more about the process of sewing and embroidering ceremonial costumes at the end of the Nguyen Dynasty, but also serves as a strong symbol of Queen Nam Phuong’s love for traditional Vietnamese culture. Hopefully, in the future, the image of the Ao Dai, whether traditional or modern, will always be spread, contributing to promoting Vietnamese culture to the world.
Along with the return of the Nhat Binh dress, Hue heritage also witnessed another return related to Queen Nam Phuong: the movie "The Last Queen", scheduled to start filming in early 2025.
This film will tell the story of more than 10 years of living in the Forbidden City of Queen Nam Phuong, with her married life going through all the ups and downs from happiness to suffering, with Emperor Bao Dai. Notably, the main setting of the film will be filmed at Kien Trung Palace, where Queen Nam Phuong and King Bao Dai once lived.
The Nhat Binh dress of Queen Nam Phuong and the movie "The Last Queen" are living proof of the spirit of "leaving" to "return", enriching Hue's cultural heritage.
(Article from the publication Lao Dong Xuan Bac Mien Trung - 2025)
