World-Record Nails: A Vietnamese Artist Grows Fingernails for 34 Years, Reaching Almost Six Meters
Le Cong Quyen, a Vietnamese artist, spent 34 years letting his fingernails grow as part of a magical belief. The nails have grown to almost six meters in total length—a feat verified by Guinness World Records. Measurement details: left hand 388.85 cm, right hand 205.6 cm, with the longest nail at 127.5 cm on the left thumb. The journey is astonishing but not without risk: during the final measurement, one nail broke.
In This Article:
Origin: A Shaman Father, a Dream of Teaching
Le Cong Quyen’s nails grew from a religious belief tied to his father, who was a shaman. He wanted to become a teacher, but his father told him the path would be too troublesome and not worth it. So Quyen continued growing the nails, and they became his defining feature as an artist. "I wanted to become a teacher, so I grew them to look majestic. But later my father told me to forget about this profession — too troublesome and not worth it. So I just kept growing them," he explains. He adds that cutting them would leave him feeling tired and drained, physically and morally. There are fragments of nails in the living room, but they are not part of the final measurement.
A Delicate Life: Keeping Dry, Avoiding Breaks, and Craft
To protect the nails, he must keep them dry at all times. "If it rains, I must keep them dry. If they get wet, they become soft and break. In the crowd, if someone brushes against them, they break too. Every movement must be careful," he says. Despite the fragility, Quyen demonstrates his painting skill, balancing a can of paint in one hand and a brush in the other. He travels by scooter, dressed carefully with the help of his wife, Ti Thuan, who helps him slip his arms into his sleeves. People gather to watch his painting and marvel at his mastery. He has not heard negative comments about his nails.
Support, Recognition, and the Humble Price of a World Record
Friends and strangers often ask his wife why she doesn’t urge him to cut them. He says it’s his choice, and without her support he could not maintain them. "Extremely happy" to receive Guinness World Records recognition, he says. Guinness representative Craig Glenday notes that the moment with the family before the record was a good one: "It is a great honor to measure his nails. They are very impressive, despite one breaking during the measurement." One nail did break during the process, but the achievement remains remarkable. Source: Guinness World Records
