Truong Xuan Tuan, a young hairstylist from Hanoi, in Vietnam, uses simple tools like trimmers and razors to create detailed works of arts on the backs of his clients’ heads.
The 30-year-old has been working as a hairstylist for 10 years now, and started experimenting with various designs half a decade ago. He first made news headlines in 2018, after photos of one of his works, an image of Portuguese soccer striker Cristiano Ronaldo went viral online. He originally started with portraits of popular Vietnamese TV series characters and as word of his skills started spreading and more clients requested his signature hair portraits, he started working on a portfolio of designs.
While many people come into Xuan Tuan’s Hanoi barbershop asking for portraits of their loved ones, or custom designs they want trimmed onto the back of their heads, the talented barber has to refuse most of them, as he only does designs he has already practiced.
The risks of messing up a design on the first try is too great and since this isn’t a medium where you can just erase and start over, Truong Xuan Tuan sticks to designs he knows he can pull off. Still, he has quite the impressive portfolio, so clients are bound to find something they like.
Prices for one of these special haircuts start at 300,000 to 400,000 dong ($13-$17) for smaller designs, and can reach 500,000-700,000 dong ($20-$30). Xuan Tuan says that some designs can remain clearly visible for only 2-3 days, while others can last up to 10 days.
The 30-year-old hairstylist says his business is mainly promoted via social media, where his hair artworks frequently go viral. But it’s not just clients that seek him out, but also young barbers who want to learn from him.
Truong Xuan Tuan isn’t the first talented hairstylist we feature on OC. In the past, we also wrote about Mario Hvala, a barber from Novi Sad, Serbia, who specializes in detailed celebrity portraits.
