Thailand’s Chud Thai heritage bid set for Unesco review in China
United Nations stamps featuring the national costume are due on 20 November, ahead of the committee’s deliberations in Xiamen.
A Unesco committee will assess Thailand’s nomination of its national costume, Chud Thai, for intangible cultural heritage status during a meeting running from 30 November to 5 December in Xiamen, China, the Department of Cultural Promotion said.
The review forms part of the 21st session of Unesco’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The evaluation panel said the tradition includes weaving, tailoring and embroidery skills, preserved through schools, designers, artisan families and local communities.
Culture Minister Sabeeda Thaised called for people in Thailand to dress in national attire during November and share photographs online before the deliberations. Separately, the department welcomed a decision by the United Nations Postal Administration to feature Chud Thai on stamps scheduled for 20 November.
The department traced eight royally endorsed styles of women’s costume to initiatives by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. It attributed the origins of the men’s phraratchathan shirt to an initiative by King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great.
Overseas promotion by the ministry in 2026 included an April exhibition in The Hague alongside a lecture about Thai dress and textiles by HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya. Tokyo billboards in September promoted ceremonial uniforms associated with the 2026 Asian Games, while Paris hosted a showcase in October.
