A Vietnamese artist has officially entered the Guinness World Records for his extraordinary fingernails, which he has been growing for more than three decades, and are longer than a giraffe’s neck.
Lưu Công Huyền now holds the record for the longest fingernails on a pair of male hands, with a total length of 594.45 cm (19 ft 6 in). His nails, which have grown for 34 years without being cut, are longer than the height of an adult giraffe.
The measurement was carried out earlier this year at his home in Nam Định province, Vietnam, by Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.
Nails measured over 19 feet in total
The measuring process involved running string along every twist and curve of the nails before comparing it against a measuring tape. The final record is an average of two sets of measurements, with his left hand totalling 388.85 cm and his right hand 205.6 cm. His longest nail is on his left thumb, reaching 127.5 cm (4 ft 2 in).
Huyền said he originally started growing his nails to follow in his father’s footsteps as a shaman. Although he never pursued the profession, he continued to let them grow, explaining that trimming them now would leave him feeling “uncomfortable and exhausted, both mentally and physically.”
Despite the challenges, Huyền continues his work as a painter, using the same nails that twist and bend into intricate shapes, often splashed with multicolored paint. He remains careful when working, dressing, or even riding his moped to avoid damage.
His wife, Thi Thuan, helps him with day-to-day tasks and supports his choice to keep the nails, despite questions from others about why she doesn’t ask him to cut them.
Huyền said he was “incredibly happy” to have his achievement recognized. He now appears in the Guinness World Records 2026 edition, joining a long tradition of spiritual and artistic figures who have held fingernail records.
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