We are stuck on him: Vietnamese man attracts knives, tables

Nguyen Huu Tai, 60, lives in My Tho City, southern Tien Giang Province. He stumbled on this strange ability or property 13 years ago, when a stainless steel object got attached to his body.

"I was eating when the spoon fell, but it stuck to me, which was very weird. I thought it was because of sweat, but the more I wiped the sweat off, the tighter it clung to me," Tai said.

So he tested what happened with other stainless steel items and the same thing happened: they stuck to his body, defying gravity. At this time, he was busy with his business, so he did not explore this phenomenon further.

Tai with 6 stainless-steel knives sticking to his body. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Than

During the last Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tai tried it again and his ability had not gone.

"I took a photo of me and the attached knives and sent it to my friends. After that, many people came to know about my ability,” Tai said.

His sister, a head physician at Tien Giang General Hospital - visited his home and asked to see the phenomenon with her own eyes: "My brother has this power and I didn’t know until now, Dr Nguyen Thi Hanh said.

At first, only stainless steel objects stuck on him. Recently, he found even glass and massage stones were doing the same thing. The heaviest object his body has been able to hold so far is an inox table with dozens of bricks weighing 20kg hanging from it.

An 8kg inox table stands still on Tai for a few minutes. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Than.

He should not make any sudden movement when he walks and talks to people when things are attached to his body. The attachment lasts for as long as 10 minutes, but if there is some walking involved, the time is reduced by half.

The sticky man explained that the execution of his ability requires a set of techniques like light breathing, mostly inhaling with limited exhaling, and especially, no strong exhalation.

He can demonstrate this ability on his upper body: abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, arms, both cheeks and forehead, but he restricts experimenting on his face because it could be dangerous, Tai said.

Tai has never experienced anything that was a precursor to this phenomenon. He is the only one in the family with this ability or property.

Normal potential?

Some scientists have remarked that every human being has the potential to attract objects, like the ability to swim. They say a newborn can swim by itself, but those who want to excel in it have to practice, and those who are afraid of water will not be able to swim.

Tran Hoang Dieu, chairman of the Union of Science and Technology Association of Tien Giang Province, said after watching the video clip of Tai with knives clung onto his body that this ability does not happen naturally but takes practice.

"This phenomenon is popular in the world, it can be achieved by training," Dieu said.

Vu The Khanh, director general of the Union of Applied Science and Technology, explained that every human being has the ability to draw objects, depending on the weight and material. For instance, anyone can have electricity charged nylon or wool attach to their body. However, to be able to keep heavy objects on the body and do so for a long time, it is important to practice regularly and persistently.

Khanh also claimed that in recent years, there have been “drastic energy" (nang luong cam xa) classes in Hanoi where students train to attach bricks, rocks and iron objects weighing 50-70kg to their body.

"It's like practicing qigong, or yoga, to help people stay healthy and keep many illnesses at bay," Khanh said.

While these explanations don’t seem to pertain to Tai, who has apparently not practiced to gain this property or ability, he said he has noticed that among all objects, he feels the strongest vibration with stainless steel.

"It runs powerfully in me like an electricity flow. Every time I do this, I lose a lot of energy, but in return, I feel good and my mind is at ease."