The ao dai, the traditional dress of Vietnamese women, has a long history. In the early 17th century, Vietnamese clothing designers (1) changes to the design of the traditional Chinese costume, creating the early forms of the present ao dai. This creativity showed Vietnam’s strong sense (2) independence. The ao dai, with different designs and materials, was worn by both men and women. Throughout the 21st century, there have been numerous changes in the design of the ao dai: from floral to checked patterns, the use of transparent fabric, the variations in the neck collar, the shortening of the gown’s length and different colors of the loose pants. Over the years, (3) the coming of Western clothing for more convenience in daily activities of modern life, the ao dai has been there to stay. Therefore, Vietnamese women go on (4) this unique dress, which is both traditional and fashionable and which (5) our rich culture to the world.

A good deal of fascinating research has been done into the reading patterns of young people, and it is surprising to discover at what an early age children start expressing preferences for particular kinds of books. A recent report, which examined in detail the reading habit of primary school children, showed that even seven-year-old boys and girls have clear views about what they want to read. Girls, in general, read more, and far more girls than boys preferred reading stories. Boys were showing a taste for the more instant appeal of picture stories, or books about their hobbies.
These tastes continue unchanged until the children are teenagers. Apparently, girls read more in general, and more fiction in particular. You could say that there are more opportunities for girls to read fiction: magazines encourage the fiction habit in girls in their early teens, and by their late teens, girls have probably moved on to the adult women's magazines. Teenage boys tend to buy magazines about their hobbies such as sports, motorcycles, heavy transport and so on.