VietNamNet Bridge - Many people advised Ms. Hoang Phuong Lan, a resident of Thai Binh City,Thai Binh Province to cut her hair but she has not done so since 1996. Lan was recognized to have the longest straight hair in Vietnam by the Vietnam Records Book Center in 2012.

Lan loved long hair when she was a child. She let her hair grow and had the nickname “Long-hair Lan”.

In 1996, for various reasons, she had to cut her long hair to shoulder length, with a lot of regret. However that was her only hair-cut.

Lan said when her hair was short, she washed it almost every day with herbs like lemon leaves, citronella leaves, soapberry and holy basil. She liked the feeling of touching the smooth and silky hair.

As time passed, her hair got longer and longer and it took more time to wash the hair.

Currently, her hair is 2.4m long and she has to spend one hour to wash it. She usually massages the head very slowly and gently to avoid hurting the roots. She cherishes the hair.

It is hard to wash the hair and harder to dry it. She does not use a hair dryer because she is afraid that the heat would harm her hair. She usually stands in front of an electric fan for an hour to dry the hair and spends another hour to comb it with her fingers. This task becomes extremely hard in the winter.

Every morning, Lan needs up to 30 minutes to comb her hair before going to work.

Lan said in 2000-2003, she worked in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At that time, her hair touched her heel. Whenever she went out, she often wore the Vietnamese ao dai and untied her hair. Many local people were amazed with her hair and they gave her a lot of compliments.

"They wanted to take photos with me and I did not forget to introduce myself as a Vietnamese," she said.

Every day, Lan gathered her hair in a bun. But it is a problem for her whenever she drives her motorbike because wearing a helmet is uneasy.

Lan also has trouble in participating in outdoor activities such as swimming or playing sports like tennis, badminton, aerobics, gyms, jogging, ... because of her heavy hair bun.

At night, she has to drop her hair from the bed to the floor.

"My love for my long hair is supported by my family. My husband said he loved my long hair very much,” Lan said and smiled happily.

Her 14-year-old daughter, named Huyen, also loves long hair like her. Currently Huyen’s hair is 1.1m long and she always unties hair whenever she goes out.

Dan Viet