Is Vietnamese Hair Good? Vietnamese vs Cambodian vs Burmese vs Indian
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Burmese, Indian. If you have shopped for raw hair you have seen all four, usually with no explanation of what separates them. The origin tells you the natural texture, the strand thickness and the lustre of the hair, and those three things decide whether it will sit well against your own.
So yes, Vietnamese hair is good. It is also the wrong choice for some people. Here is an honest comparison of the four we stock.
The short version
| Origin | Natural texture | Strand | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian | Straight, wavy, curly | Finest of the four | Blending with most hair types |
| Vietnamese | Straight, subtle wave air dried | Thick, strong, lustrous | Low maintenance and shine |
| Cambodian | Wavy | Coarsest, thickest diameter | A thicker, fuller look |
| Burmese | Curly | Thick and coarse | Natural 3b to 4c hair |
Indian hair
Indian is our best seller, and the reason is versatility. It is the finest strand of the four, with medium to high lustre, and it blends with more hair types than anything else we stock. It is also the only origin where we carry the full texture range: straight, wavy, natural curly, deep curly and kinky straight.
Because the strand is finer, it is the easiest to hide at the root, which matters more than people expect. If other hair has felt heavy or obvious on you, this is usually why.
One thing to know: even our straight Indian hair has a subtle natural wave. It is raw, so it behaves like hair rather than like a product, and it shows its own pattern once it is washed and air dried.
Choose it if you are matching a specific texture, or your own hair is on the finer side. Look elsewhere if maximum density is the priority.
See the Indian collection, from £115 per bundle.
Vietnamese hair
Vietnamese hair is thick, strong and naturally lustrous. Depending on the donor's genetics it can come very silky or on the coarser side, but the constants are the body and the shine.
It is the most reliable of the four day to day. It is less prone to frizz, which is what makes it low maintenance: on a morning when you have not got time, it behaves. Like all raw hair it is not poker straight forever, and it will show subtle waves once washed and air dried.
Choose it if you want dependable, lustrous hair that does not fight you. Look elsewhere if you want a pronounced natural wave or curl, because this is the wrong starting point for it.
See the Vietnamese straight collection, from £130 per bundle.
Cambodian hair
Cambodian hair usually appears darker in colour, coarser and thicker in diameter than the other Southeast Asian hair we carry. It has a natural wavy texture and a medium lustre, so it reads less shiny and more like hair that simply grew that way.
That thickness is the point. If you want a fuller, denser result, this is the origin that delivers it. It also holds a curl very well, so a set stays set, and its texture blends into natural textured hair rather than sitting on top of it. If you wear a leave out, that matters.
Choose it if you want thickness and volume, or you are blending with textured hair. Look elsewhere if your own hair is fine, because the coarser, thicker strand can overwhelm it.
See the Cambodian wavy collection, from £135 per bundle.
Burmese hair
Hair from Burma, also known as Myanmar, is thick and coarse by nature. Our Raw Burmese Curly comes double drawn, and it is the most distinctive hair we carry.
It is made for natural 3b to 4c hair. Air dried, the curls are supple and soft while staying coarse and textured, which is exactly what lets it disappear into natural curls instead of announcing itself. It is also more versatile than its reputation suggests: it will mimic a twist out, and it takes a blowout well.
The thing to plan for is shrinkage. Curly hair wears shorter than its measured length, so order longer than the number in your head if you want it to fall at a particular point.
Choose it if your natural hair is 3b to 4c, or you want curl with real texture to it. Look elsewhere if you intend to wear it straight permanently, because you are then paying for a texture you are removing.
See the Burmese curly collection, from £135 per bundle.
So which is best?
There is no best origin, and a seller who tells you there is usually stocks one. The question is what your own hair is like and what you want the install to do.
- Fine natural hair: Indian. The finest strand of the four and the easiest to blend at the root.
- Thick or textured natural hair: Cambodian or Burmese, which match density rather than disappear into it.
- Natural 3b to 4c: Burmese, or Indian natural curly and deep curly.
- Shine and low effort: Vietnamese.
- A fuller, denser look: Cambodian.
- Not sure yet: Indian, because it blends with the widest range of hair types.
What matters more than origin
One honest caveat. Origin sets the natural texture, but whether the hair is genuinely raw matters more than which country it came from. Processed hair is routinely sold under all four of these names, steamed into a texture it never grew in, and it reverts after a few washes regardless of the label.
If you are not clear on what separates raw from virgin from processed, read that first: what is raw hair. It is the difference that decides whether any of the above holds true.
Still deciding? Our hair finder narrows it down in a couple of minutes, or compare all the textures side by side.
