Love for the arts since childhood years

Nguyen Duc Luong was born in 2000 into a family with financial difficulties. His parents were both office workers and security guards at a rubber plantation. Luong grew up lacking material comforts but was nurtured with love and protection from his family.

From a young age, Luong showed a special talent for painting. While his peers were busy with childhood games, he was engrossed in colored pencils, sketchbooks, and landscape paintings of villages, fields, or old street corners. “I remember the first time I asked my parents to buy me a watercolor set, they just silently shook their heads. I understood that our family's financial situation didn’t allow it. But when they saw me drawing with ballpoint pens and colored pencils, they quietly bought me my first watercolor set with their small savings. I treasured it like a treasure”.


 

From those simple strokes, Luong realized his deep love for art. That passion extended beyond painting and gradually shifted toward fashion design – a field where he could tell the cultural story of his nation through needle and thread.

Although he is currently studying Hotel Management at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), Nguyen Duc Luong has already discovered his deep passion for fashion design. Without formal training or a family background in fashion, he has relied on perseverance, creativity, and determination to establish himself as a rising icon in Vietnamese ethnic costume design.


 

Overcoming adversity for the pursuit of passion

Nguyen Duc Luong’s pursuit of his passion has never been easy. Coming from a modest family, he also faced psychological struggles. He shared that at one point, due to the pressure of studying, work, and life challenges, he experienced mild depression.

Reflecting on his journey, Luong shared: “There was a time when I was so exhausted that I took a large number of sedatives from a bottle. Fortunately, I was taken to the hospital in time. After that incident, I realized that I had to be stronger, love myself more, and cherish this life”.

 

 

Not wanting to be a burden on his family, Luong found ways to support himself while chasing his dreams. He juggled studying with various part-time jobs, from working as a café server and dance instructor to modeling and designing costumes for small events. These experiences helped him grow and develop resilience in his work. “Fashion design is very expensive, especially ethnic costumes, which require high-quality materials and intricate hand-embroidery. Many times, I had to collect beads and sequins from event stages to save costs for my next design”, he shared.

Despite the hardships, Luong remained persistent in his pursuit of fashion. His relentless efforts have begun to pay off with his first achievements.

 

Remarks at grand stages

Despite not coming from a professional fashion school, Nguyen Duc Luong quickly proved his talent through numerous awards, including the “Inspirational Costume” award in the National Costume contest of Miss Grand Vietnam 2023, Top 3 National Costume at Miss Universe Vietnam 2023, Top 15 National Costume at Miss Grand Vietnam 2022, first prize in the Recycled Costume competition in Tay Ninh City, and Top 5 Fashion Designer at Hutech Next Gen 2021.

 

 

Additionally, Duc Luong has been invited as a judge and advisor for major events such as the Student Charm Contest 2023 at Gia Dinh University, a mass dance performance at Dau Tieng High School in Binh Duong, and served as the head organizer of the Halloween Secret 2021 competition. Luong shared about his designing style: “Each of my designs tells its own story. When the audience sees the outfit, I want them to feel the essence of Vietnamese culture in every detail.”

 

“Coc Kien Troi” – Costume imbued with fold impressions

One of Duc Luong’s most impressive designs is “Coc Kien Troi” (Toad Suing The God), the costume presented at the National Costume segment of Miss Grand Vietnam 2023. Inspired by the Vietnamese folktale of the brave toad who sued the heavens to bring rain for all living beings, the outfit was crafted from high-quality brocade fabric and adorned with thousands of hand-embellished crystals, glitter, and shimmering beads. The toad armor was made from a steel frame, 3D-printed, and equipped with wheels for smooth stage movement.

“Coc Kien Troi symbolizes courage, unity, and the pursuit of justice. Through this design, I want the audience not only to admire its beauty but also to connect with the cultural story behind it”, he remarked.


 

The dream of taking Vietnamese fashion to the world

Nguyen Duc Luong shares that in the future, he hopes to open a traditional ao dai exhibition in Vietnam – a place where people can explore different styles of ao dai from North to South, from classic to modern. “I believe that Vietnamese cultural fashion holds a special power. It is the intersection of past and present, tradition and modernity. I want to bring Vietnamese culture to the international stage through my designs.”

Nguyen Duc Luong is no longer just a young dreamer; he has truly become a symbol of the new generation of promising designers. His success today is not the result of luck but of a long journey fueled by passion, perseverance, and a deep love for national culture. Each of his designs is more than just an outfit – it is a story, a breath of Vietnamese history and culture, reimagined through the creative lens of a new generation.

 

 

The road ahead for Nguyen Duc Luong is still long, but with unwavering faith and a heart full of passion, he is steadily bringing Vietnamese cultural fashion to the global stage. Luong is not just a designer; he is a storyteller who uses the language of fashion to preserve and spread the cultural values of his homeland through every stitch and seam. Without a doubt, in the future, the name Nguyen Duc Luong will continue to shine, becoming a source of pride for Vietnamese fashion on the international stage.