08 · 09

Hair Traders in North Vietnam

To the clock-watchers out there, yeah yeah I should be lesson-planning, but I need a break for 10 minutes or so.
So, here's another "Only in Vietnam" post.

The Look At Vietnam blog has been showcasing what I think is an unusual phenomenon, seemingly most common in the north of Vietnam, parts of Myanmar and Thailand.
I've attached links to three articles on harvesting hair for export.

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VietNamNet/Dan Tri


Some extracts to get your curiosity going follow:

Real hair is used to produce wigs but the development of hair-extension services has made the need for hair increase. According to a hair trader, tens of thousands of Vietnamese women sell their hair a year. A small part of this is supplied to the local market and the remaining is “exported”.

 
Vietnam isn’t the only place where people have designs on women’s long hair. In Myanmar there have even been stories of hair thieves, who snip off women’s hair while they are commuting, shopping or walking down the street. Long-haired women in crowded areas have fallen victim to sneaky snippers, who the sell the hair. In2007 a viss ( 1.6 kilograms) of hair was reported as being worth between $320 and $400.

 
The H’Mong girl took the scarf from off her head and sat down on the grass on the river bank. Her hair hung to her waist. The hair buyer started her job coldly. Around ten minutes later, she completed her job.



http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2009/04/tonnes-of-hair-exported.html

http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2008/09/hair-to-day.html

http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2009/08/saying-goodbye-to-hair.html


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