Letting your hair down in name of the coconut gods
Nguyen Van Chien, 92, sits for a portrait to show his 5-meter long hair which, according to him, has not been cut for nearly 70 years, at his home in Tien Giang province, Vietnam, on August 21, 2020.
While novel coronavirus lockdowns caused many men across the world to grow their hair longer than usual, none is comparable with Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Chien who has gone almost 80 years without a trim.
The 92-year-old from the Mekong Delta is the proud owner of 5-meter-long dreadlocks, owing to his belief in a faith that demands leaving untouched what a person is born with.
“I believe if I cut my hair I will die. I dare not to change anything, not even combing it,” Chien said in his village about 80 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City.
“I only nurture it, cover it in a scarf to keep it dry and clean and looking nice.”
Chien, who worships nine powers and seven gods, believes it was his calling to grow his hair, which he bundles up under an orange turban.
He was required to trim it when at school, but left after third grade and decided never to cut, comb or wash it again.
“I remembered my hair was black, thick and strong. 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,” he said.
“I touched my hair and overnight it has became really hard. It has attached to my head and became a thing of its own.”
Chien follows a near-obsolete faith known as “Dua,” the coconut religion, named after its founder who said he survived only on coconuts.
