A Vietnamese man who was thought to have the world's longest hair has died.

被认为拥有全世界最长头发的越南老汉陈文海近日去世。

A Vietnamese man who died this week and whose hair was so long it resembled a boa constrictor, may have had the world's longest mane, according to reports. The exact length of Tran Van Hay¹'s unwashed hair was unclear but the Vietnam News said it was 6.8 metres long (over 22 feet). The Thanh Nien daily said Hay's matted locks were measured at 6.2 metres in 2006.

The exact length of Tran Van Hay's unwashed hair was unclear but some estimates² put it as long as 6.8 metres.

China's Xie Qiuping is on record（记录在案的） as having the world's longest hair, measured at 5.6 metres in 2004, according to the Guinness World Records （吉尼斯世界记录） .

Hay began to let his hair grow more than 50 years ago because he often got sick after a haircut, the Vietnam News quoted his wife, Nguyen Thi Hoa, as saying.

Media reports said he lived a simple life as a herbalist（草药医生） , but his hair could complicate³（恶化，卷入） things. Reports said no motorcycle taxi would carry him because he could not wear a helmet（钢盔，头盔） . In the daytime he balanced his hair on his head like a basket, protected by a scarf.

Hay, whose hair weighed several pounds, died at home Wednesday in the southern province of Kien Giang at the age of 79, Vietnam News said.