(VNF) - The Second Ao dai Day had attracted hundreds to Downtown San Jose, California for a celebration of Vietnamese art and culture on May 14^th.

Many Vietnamese women dressed in the traditional Ao Dai in a spectacular pre-show outdoor ceremony set against a tapestry of colored flags outside San Jose City Hall.

Vietnamese women gathered out San Joe City Hall, dressing in the traditional Ao Dai at the event on May 14^th. (Photo: FB/Nguyen Sy Hung)

California, the U.S. state with a large Vietnamese community, has adopted SR 73, a resolution which recognizes May 15^th as Ao dai Day (Vietnamese long dress) in California from 2015.

The resolution was proposed by three California Senates including Janet Nguyen, Jim Beall and Richard Pan.

The resolution stated that by celebrating the dress, which is an icon of Vietnam, Vietnamese people in California and across the U.S. can contribute to the U.S.'s perse culture.

The “Ao Dai”, the elegant gown worn by Vietnamese women, has become the symbol of feminine beauty, and the pride of the Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese-Americans have been holding their Ao Dai Festival every two years since 2012.

Vietnamese women dressed in the traditional Ao Dai at the event on May 14^th outside San Jose City Hall. (Photo: FB/Nguyen Sy Hung)

Each year, San Jose hosts the Ao Dai Festival (ADF), celebrating the garment that is the paragon of traditional Vietnamese feminine fashion, with a fascinating history, and from what has been evident in past festivals, an intriguing future as well.

The Festival has gained recognition for promoting Vietnamese arts and culture in the Greater Bay Area and beyond. More than just a fund raising event, ADF has become a highly anticipated spectacle celebrating music, arts, fashion, and culture with the Ao Dai, the iconic Vietnamese national costume, as its principal inspiration./.

Compiled by VNF