A policeman in Nam Dinh Province assists Luu Cong Huyen in getting fingerprints scanned. Photo courtesy of Giao Thuy District police.

A photo of Luu Cong Huyen, 63, has been shared widely on social media showing a police officer trying to get his fingerprints. While the scanning normally takes two minutes or less, Huyen was unable to get it done after nearly half an hour of rolling his fingers back and forth.

He has not cut his fingernails for 40 years, and they have now grown to a gargantuan 20-86 centimeters.

Huyen went to the People's Committee office in Giao Yen Commune in Giao Thuy District last Sunday to get a new ID card made.

He said: "The police officers failed to get my fingerprints scanned since my nails are long and arched. If I am not careful, they would break."

"Many people tell me to cut them saying they look disgusting, but I’ll fall sick immediately if I do it. Recently I felt unwell after a bit broke off a nail."

While some people think such long and tangled nails mean Huyen cannot do any work, he is in fact a mason.

"My hands are covered with cement and so it looks dirty. I do not dare clean them since if I wet the nails they will crumple like instant noodles and peel off.

"I don't even dare to go to a crowded place or outside when it rains. Every time I take a bath, I have to ask my wife for help."

The Giao Thuy District police said, "Since the government requires every citizen to make a new ID card with an embedded chip, we will consider how to help him at a later time."