22-year-old Bui Duc Thinh, the youngest participant in the contest, won acclaim for his short hairstyles and skills in colouring.

Earlier, Thinh won first prize at Asian Hairstyle contest in July in HCM City, where he completed with stylists from the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

He said the victory was “magical” because of his relative inexperience. Thinh began his career when he was 17 following his grandfather’s footsteps and now runs his own shop in Hai Phong City’s An Da Street.

Organised by the Italian hair company Davines, the annual contest attracted professional hairstylists from 60 countries.

This was the first time that Vietnam participated in the event.