Published:  00:00 Monday - December 20, 2010

The Vietnam Guinness Book of Records has recognised 30 new records at the 20th meeting of Vietnamese record holders held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 18.

Half the new records were in the field of art and culture, including the largest palm leaf copy of Uncle Ho’s testament (1.18m x 2.05m) and the largest picture (3.95m x 2m) made from precious stones.

The records also included the 92-year-old Vinh Bao, the oldest music teacher who teaches traditional music online.

Vietnam Guinness also recognised the oldest Vietnamese heroic mother Tran Thi Viet who was born in 1892.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan and Nguyen Huu Thuan were acknowledged as the woman and man with the most times of blood donations, 65 and 63 times, respectively.

In the field of science and technology, 70-year-old archaeologist Do Dinh Truat holds the record for the highest number of excavations. He has organized and attended in the excavation of over 300 tombs across the country.

The two brothers Bui Ngoc Vinh and Bui Ngoc Khanh from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue made their name known for the uncanny ability to eat one kilogram of chilies in ten minutes.

Meanwhile, the Hua family in the southernmost province of Ca Mau made the record as the family with the highest number of people who can float on water for several hours.