Yem Vietnam

Y?m is exactly similar to a garment called dù d?u (Chinese: ??) that existed in ancient China. Its origin came from China where women wore it through out dynasties [1][2]. The y?m has been worn by northern Vietnamese women whom were greatly influenced by the Chinese in the north and so adopted the Chinese dù d?u and called it y?m. Unlike other Vietnamese clothing that helped to segregate the classes, y?m were worn as an undergarment by Vietnamese women of all walks of life, from peasant women toiling in the fields to imperial consorts

While it was worn across classes, the material and colors used to make y?m varied widely based upon the person's rank and the occasion. Commoner women usually wore y?m in simple blacks and whites for day to day use, whereas during special occasions they could opt for more festive, brighter colors such as red and pink. Indeed, much of Vietnamese poetry has been dedicated to the beauty of women in their "y?m ?ào", or pink bodices.

While the bottom of the y?m are v-shaped, there were different styles for the top of the garment which covered the neck, the most common two variations being the rounded neck or the v-shaped neck style.

Some types of y?m have a little pocket within, where women often used to store a little musk or perfume.

As Westernization inevitably reached Vietnam, by the 20th century women increasingly abandoned the y?m for the Western bra.

Fashion designers, in their constant quest to revitalize interest in traditional costumes as well as reinvent the latter have created many new collections of y?m. The modernized form of the garment is slightly different and is called "áo y?m" rather than simply "y?m", the latter referring to the historical garment. Áo y?m has proven to be quite popular with young women, perhaps due to its similarity to the Western halter top.