Meet Nguyen Hoang Hung, a sword-wielding hairdresser from Vietnam. Believe it or not, this man actually cuts his clients’ hair with a sword! And his unusual ‘weapon of choice’ doesn’t affect the speed or quality of his haircuts – he manages to produce brilliant results every single time.

Hung said that he picked up the unique skill four years ago, when he participated in a game show where he was required to cut hair without scissors. He had used a handsaw at the time, and enjoyed the process immensely. Later, he evolved to the more sophisticated sword as a haircutting tool.

He began by using it on women with longer hair, and then moved on to shorter styles like bobs and pixie cuts. He admitted that it was difficult and risky at first, but he just kept practicing on training wigs. And after four years of rigorous, unrelenting practice, Hung is now able to create beautiful hairstyles within minutes.

Photo: Ngoisao

Hung admitted that he only learned the skill to use during performances and exhibitions, but more and more customers who visited his salon started asking for his legendary ‘sword cut’. So he had to oblige, and he eventually abandoned the scissors altogether.

He now uses a Wakizashi (which means ‘side inserted sword’) – a traditional razor-sharp Samurai sword that has been around since the 15th century. Warriors generally used it as a backup sword, and also for close-quarters fighting, to behead an opponent.

That sounds dangerous, but Hung insists that the sword is perfectly safe for cutting hair. In fact, he says that it works much better than a pair of scissors – it allows him to accomplish a unique, light, feathered look that is otherwise impossible to achieve.

Source: Ngoisao (Vietnamese)