[Video] The Effortlessly Cool Longboarders Conquering Saigon Sidewalks in Áo Dài

Have you ever seen something so effortlessly kickass?

Released just a few days ago, the longboarding video, titled AO DAI & LONGBOARD AROUND SAIGON, has amassed some 140,000 times on local Facebook forums. It’s difficult to put a label on what it is, as the clip hovers between short film and music video, and could even pass for a highly stylized television commercial for áo dài and longboards. We do know something for sure — it exudes enough cool to extinguish the most heated of Saigon days.

Not your average Saigon pedestrian.

The video was produced by and stars Mac Thu Thao and Le Quynh Tram, both Saigon-based longboard riders, along with a team of friends. Set to the tune of a funky rendition of classic anthem ‘Sai Gon,’ the music video is an intersection of various interests, subcultures and aesthetics that, somehow, meshed together perfectly to form a sleek tribute to áo dài and Saigon.

Casually boarding to a night soirée in our áo dài.

If we have to describe the video's vibe in one word: Black Swan-White Swan dynamic-meets-pre-1975 street style-meets-Duong Giap’s now-famous collection of skateboarding illustrations. As Thao and Tram glides across famous Saigon landmarks in their black and white áo dài — from Nguyen Hue Walking Street to the Saigon Central Post Office — a troupe of other longboarding friends joins in, making the situation rather surreal. Imagine a future or alternative universe when this becomes the city’s most common mode of transport?

Have a peek at the clip below:

Director: @vanmanhtienden
Filmer: @Giap Ut
Editor: @chamiee_blue
Starring: @chamiee_blue @mac.thuthao
Costume: Vanessa Liu (white áo dài) - Duy Anh (black áo dài)
Photo BTS: @_finding_andi
Make up: @ruandang
Assistant: @huyenhuyenthanh

Special thanks to:
@anhhonvu
@minhman_sk8
@hainamne_
@harri_tran
@luctran1234
@tho_usagi
@quien_then
@Đoàn Minh Quân