{"id":668,"date":"2017-03-26T10:55:09","date_gmt":"2017-03-26T03:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/?p=668"},"modified":"2019-06-17T14:06:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-17T07:06:56","slug":"vietnamese-conical-hat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/vietnamese-conical-hat\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic Vietnamese Fashion: The Ao Dai &#038; Non La"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_732\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-732\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-732 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ao-dai-xo-tours.jpeg\" alt=\"Our XO Tours ladies wearing their traditional Ao Dai and Non La (Vietnamese conical hat).. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ao-dai-xo-tours.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ao-dai-xo-tours-300x126.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ao-dai-xo-tours-150x63.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/ao-dai-xo-tours-400x168.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our XO Tours ladies wearing their traditional Ao Dai and Non La (Vietnamese conical hat).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nothing portrays iconic Vietnamese fashion more than the long flowy dress and the conical hat, otherwise known as the Ao Dai and the Non La.\u00a0 To many, it may just seem like a hat people wear in this part of the world, but the <em>non la<\/em> is more than just a functional headpiece &#8211; it\u2019s a symbol of Vietnamese history, art and culture.\u00a0 But how much do you really know about the conical hat?\u00a0 In fact, many tourists see the hat worn everyday and even buy it as a souvenir, but as we said before, it\u2019s more than just a hat! It&#8217;s a cultural symbol that you will see during your <a class=\"_ps2id\" href=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/vietnam-itinerary-how-long-to-stay-in-ho-chi-minh-city-hanoi-hoi-an-halong-nha-trang\/\" data-ps2id-offset=\"\">Vietnam trip<\/a>. Let us tell you a bit about what the conical hat truly represents and enrich your cultural knowledge of Vietnam.<\/p>\n<p>It is very easy to find Non La hat around Ho Chi Minh City<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_683\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-683\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-683 \" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu-300x265.jpg\" alt=\"The Trong Dong Ngoc Lu drum with intricate carvings depicting characters wearing the conical hat. \" width=\"210\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu-300x265.jpg 300w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu-1024x905.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu-150x132.jpg 150w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu-400x353.jpg 400w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/trong-dong-ngoc-lu.jpg 1624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-683\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Trong Dong Ngoc Lu drum with intricate carvings depicting characters wearing the conical hat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_75 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/vietnamese-conical-hat\/#A_Brief_History\" >A Brief History<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/vietnamese-conical-hat\/#Whats_it_for\" >What\u2019s it for?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Brief_History\"><\/span><strong>A Brief History<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The exact origin of the <em>non la<\/em> is hard to pinpoint but legends and stories dating back thousands of years talk about the conical hat.\u00a0 The hat is depicted as a drawing on two famous ancient relics, the Trong Dong Ngoc Lu (a drum with an intricate pattern carved onto it) and the Thap Dong Dao Thinh (a decorated bronze jar from the Dong Son people).\u00a0 Both these relics are between 2500 to 3000 years old, indicating that the <em>non la<\/em> is at least that old, if not older.\u00a0 What is for certain is that the hat has been an essential part of Vietnamese culture.\u00a0 Farmers to labourers to ordinary men and women have been using it for utilitarian purposes and will continue to use it for many years to come.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_it_for\"><\/span><strong>What\u2019s it for?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Vietnam is a sub-tropical country so it gets quite hot &#8211; upwards of 40 C in the summer!\u00a0 The hat provides good protection from the sun and heat.\u00a0 During the rainy season, the hat is a good shield for the rain.\u00a0 Farmers often wear it when they are in the sun for extended periods of time.\u00a0 But nowadays, it\u2019s also a fashionable accessory and a great souvenir!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_687\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-687\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-687\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/everyday-people-non-la.png\" alt=\"People aren't the only ones that wear the 'non la' in their everyday lives. :)\" width=\"650\" height=\"223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/everyday-people-non-la.png 928w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/everyday-people-non-la-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/everyday-people-non-la-150x51.png 150w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/everyday-people-non-la-400x137.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-687\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People aren&#8217;t the only ones that wear the &#8216;non la&#8217; in their everyday lives. \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>How\u2019s it Made<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may find the design very simple, but the construction is far from it.\u00a0 Remarkably, all the conical hats in the world are hand made!\u00a0 There is no machine dextrous enough to create this work of art.\u00a0 The hat is made from two materials &#8211; bamboo and the leaves of palm trees.\u00a0 The frame is made from 16 concentric rings (after much research, 16 has been found to be the magic number!) joined by perpendicular bars of bamboo.\u00a0 The leaves are then sun-dried, ironed very strategically, and then precisely sewn and woven into the frame.\u00a0 The needlework required to make the <em>non la<\/em> is also very intricate and takes years of experience, not to mention extreme patience and dextrous hands. \u00a0There are entire villages in the northern part of Vietnam where every person in the village is dedicated to the manufacturing of conical hats!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_678\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-678\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-678 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/make-conical-hat.jpg\" alt=\"Workers in the Chuong village creating the hats by hand. \" width=\"410\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/make-conical-hat.jpg 410w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/make-conical-hat-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/make-conical-hat-150x98.jpg 150w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/make-conical-hat-400x261.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-678\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers in the Chuong village creating the hats by hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Regional Variations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As if the construction of the hat wasn\u2019t complicated enough, hat makers have found ways to make it even more intricate.\u00a0 Specific regions have their own way of making the hat unique.\u00a0 For instance, the people from the Lai Chau region make their hats flatter than the regular <em>non la<\/em>.\u00a0 In our opinion, the most beautiful variation of the <em>non la<\/em>\u00a0comes from the Hue region.\u00a0 Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam and is an incredibly romantic and artistic city.\u00a0 It is the birthplace of many famous Vietnamese poets.\u00a0 So it\u2019s only fitting that there are verses of poetry inserted between the layers of leaves as a sunken design so the words are only visible in sunlight!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_685\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-685\" style=\"width: 395px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-685 \" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-bai-tho-two-kinds-300x152.png\" alt=\"Beautiful 'non bai tho' with poetry and images imbedded within the leaf layers, visible only in sunlight.\" width=\"395\" height=\"210\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beautiful &#8216;non bai tho&#8217; with poetry and images imbedded within the leaf layers, visible only in sunlight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_677\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-677\" style=\"width: 344px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-677 \" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lai-chau-hats.jpeg\" alt=\"The conical hats in the Lai Chau region are a variation on the regular 'non la' shape. \" width=\"344\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lai-chau-hats.jpeg 275w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lai-chau-hats-150x99.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-677\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The conical hats in the Lai Chau region are a variation on the regular &#8216;non la&#8217; shape.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Some things you should definitely know&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <em>non la<\/em>\u00a0is a serious fashion statement on the runways.\u00a0 Designs like Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton have used the conical hat in their shows!\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_686\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-686\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-686 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-la-kate-moss-runway-300x266.png\" alt=\"Many fashion designers have used the hat in Asian-inspired shows on the runway, and supermodel Kate Moss wore it in a magazine shoot! \" width=\"300\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-la-kate-moss-runway-300x266.png 300w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-la-kate-moss-runway-150x133.png 150w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-la-kate-moss-runway-400x355.png 400w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/non-la-kate-moss-runway.png 727w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-686\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Many fashion designers have used the hat in Asian-inspired shows on the runway, and supermodel Kate Moss wore it in a magazine shoot!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>The fashion trend has now trickled down to mainstream stores!\u00a0 American Apparel sells the hats (paddy hats, as they call it) for only $15.99. \ud83d\ude42\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_671\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-671\" style=\"width: 192px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-671\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-everyday-192x300.jpg\" alt=\"Far away from Vietnam, ordinary people have taken up the trend! \" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-everyday-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-everyday-96x150.jpg 96w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-everyday.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-671\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Far away from Vietnam, ordinary people have taken up the trend!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re wondering how one would store such a unique shaped hat, you can purchase this beautiful case for it, which just happens to be 10 times the cost of the hat that goes in it!\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_670\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-670\" style=\"width: 275px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-670\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-box.jpeg\" alt=\"A beautiful leather hand crafted box to store your palm leaf hat! \" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-box.jpeg 275w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/conical-hat-box-150x99.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A beautiful leather hand crafted box to store your palm leaf hat!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<li>Celebrities just love it!\u00a0 Even Lady Gaga has invented a very unique interpretation of the conical hat. \ud83d\ude42\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_688\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-688\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-688\" src=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lady-gaga-conical-hat.png\" alt=\"The one and only Lady Gaga recently wore the 'non la' during a public appearance, but of course she put her own spin on it. \" width=\"270\" height=\"673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lady-gaga-conical-hat.png 270w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lady-gaga-conical-hat-120x300.png 120w, https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/lady-gaga-conical-hat-60x150.png 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-688\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The one and only Lady Gaga recently wore the &#8216;non la&#8217; during a public appearance, but of course she put her own spin on it.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is another fun snapshot of Vietnamese culture brought to you by XO Tours, <a title=\"XO Tours in the Media\" href=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/Press.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener \u201ddofollow&quot;\">the most talked about motorbike tour company in the media<\/a>! Or read more about<a href=\"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/shopping-in-ho-chi-minh-city-what-to-buy-and-where-to-buy-it\/\" rel=\"\u201ddofollow&quot;\"> Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nothing portrays iconic Vietnamese fashion more than the long flowy dress and the conical hat, otherwise known as the Ao Dai and the Non La.\u00a0 To many, it may just seem like a hat people wear in this part of the world, but the non la is more than just a functional headpiece &#8211; it\u2019s [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"All about the Vietnamese Conical Hat %%sep%% %%sitename%%","_seopress_titles_desc":"What is the story behind that conical shaped hat that people wear around Vietnam? Learn the history of the hat and where it shows up in pop culture!","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[117,118,115,116],"class_list":{"0":"post-668","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vietnamese-culture","8":"tag-non-la","9":"tag-paddy-hat","10":"tag-conical-hat","11":"tag-asian-hat"},"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5316,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668\/revisions\/5316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xotours.vn\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}