Vietnamese Man Has Not Cut His Hair for 80 Years
2020-08-28
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1Coronavirus safety restrictions have caused many men around the world to grow their hair longer than usual.
2But none of them compare with Nguyen Van Chien of Vietnam.
3He claims to have gone almost 80 years without cutting his hair.
4The 92-year-old has hair that is around five meters long.
5His hair looks like a long rope.
6Chien believes that what a person is born with should be left untouched.
7He spoke to a reporter from Reuters news agency.
8"I believe if I cut my hair I will die. I dare not to change anything, not even combing it," he said.
9"I only nurture it, cover it in a scarf to keep it dry and clean and looking nice."
10Chien lives in a village about 80 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City.
11As a boy, he had to cut his hair when he was at school.
12But he left school after third grade.
13He said he decided never to cut, comb, or wash it again.
14"I remembered my hair was black, thick and strong," he said.
15"I combed it, untangled it to make it smooth. But when I heard the calling from the divine power, I knew immediately that I was chosen."
16He added, "I touched my hair and overnight it became really hard. It has attached to my head and became a thing of its own."
17Nguyen Van Chien believes in nine powers and seven gods.
18He follows a very rare religion known as "Dua", or the coconut religion.
19The name comes from its founder, who claimed he survived only on coconuts.
20Dua is banned in Vietnam.
21Chien's fifth son, Luom, helps him with his hair. He, too, believes in the connection between hair and death.
22Luom says he has seen a man die after trying to re-attach his hair with string.
23"These things look simple but they are sacred," said 62-year-old Luom.
24I'm John Russell.
1Coronavirus safety restrictions have caused many men around the world to grow their hair longer than usual. But none of them compare with Nguyen Van Chien of Vietnam. He claims to have gone almost 80 years without cutting his hair. 2The 92-year-old has hair that is around five meters long. His hair looks like a long rope. 3Chien believes that what a person is born with should be left untouched. He spoke to a reporter from Reuters news agency. 4"I believe if I cut my hair I will die. I dare not to change anything, not even combing it," he said. "I only nurture it, cover it in a scarf to keep it dry and clean and looking nice." 5Chien lives in a village about 80 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City. As a boy, he had to cut his hair when he was at school. But he left school after third grade. He said he decided never to cut, comb, or wash it again. 6"I remembered my hair was black, thick and strong," he said. "I combed it, untangled it to make it smooth. But when I heard the calling from the divine power, I knew immediately that I was chosen." 7He added, "I touched my hair and overnight it became really hard. It has attached to my head and became a thing of its own." 8Nguyen Van Chien believes in nine powers and seven gods. He follows a very rare religion known as "Dua", or the coconut religion. The name comes from its founder, who claimed he survived only on coconuts. Dua is banned in Vietnam. 9Chien's fifth son, Luom, helps him with his hair. He, too, believes in the connection between hair and death. Luom says he has seen a man die after trying to re-attach his hair with string. 10"These things look simple but they are sacred," said 62-year-old Luom. 11I'm John Russell. 12Thinh Nguyen reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 13_______________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15dare - v. to do something that is difficult or that people are usually afraid to do); to not be too afraid to do something 16comb - v. to smooth, organize, or separate hair 17nurture - v. to care for the development of something 18scarf - n. a piece of cloth worn around the neck of head 19grade - n. a level of quality or intensity in employment or a school 20untangle - v. to separate things that are twisted together) 21sacred - adj. highly valued and important; very holy 22We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.