TL;DR: The custom of dyeing teeth black was once a widespread beauty practice among the Vietnamese, also recorded among several peoples along the Trường Sơn range, tied to the belief that black teeth alone were beautiful and proper. In the method still recounted in Huế, the person being dyed holds sour water in the mouth to clean the teeth, then applies a dye made from thanh phàn, hắc phàn and ngũ bội tử, a process lasting many days. The custom declined from the early 20th century under the influence of reform movements such as Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục and Western aesthetics, and today it is almost no longer practised.
What Is the Black Teeth Dyeing Custom and When Did It Begin?
The black teeth dyeing custom is a beauty practice of darkening tooth enamel to a glossy black, once widespread among the Vietnamese (Kinh); press reports also record it among some ethnic groups of the Trường Sơn range in the Central region. In traditional aesthetics, black teeth were considered beautiful, a sign of maturity and virtue, while white teeth were seen as crude and shameful.
The origin is difficult to date precisely. A Thanh Niên article cites the book Lịch sử Việt Nam (History of Vietnam, vol. 1, Social Sciences Publishing House, 1971), which relates the traditional story of the envoy of Văn Lang replying to the king of Chu that the Vietnamese had the custom of betel chewing to remove odor and dye their teeth black[2]. The same book states that in the Hùng Vương era people dyed their teeth and chewed betel[2]. Vietnamese archaeologists have found blackened teeth at the Đông Sơn culture site in Thanh Hóa, around the first millennium BCE[2].
Besides archaeological evidence, some folk variants trace the custom to the myth of the sea goddess's husband, who dyed the teeth of 50 sons black to mislead the mother searching for them[2]. This is legend, not verified historical fact.
How Did People Dye Their Teeth Black?
The process was not simple; it lasted weeks and required patience. According to accounts of those who underwent it, the person first had to rinse their mouth with water boiled from sôn leaves (a sour leaf used in Huế to cook soup) for many nights to clean deposits on the teeth[1]. After the sour water had penetrated, a dye made from various mountain leaves and stems was applied; this dye gave the teeth a deep black that did not fade[1].
A keeper of the secret recipe for black teeth dye in Huế said the main ingredients are three: thanh phàn, hắc phàn, and bội tử (ngũ bội tử), along with others[3]. Ngũ bội tử is sun-dried and ground into fine powder; thanh phàn and hắc phàn are roasted in a pan for a day and a night until hard, then pounded fine[3]. The formula is two spoons of thanh phàn and hắc phàn mixed with one spoon of ngũ bội powder, then placed in a bag and shaken[3]. The powder is very pungent and acrid; just touching the nose causes a sharp sting[3].
According to practitioners, before dyeing one must rinse with sour water so the teeth adapt, then open the mouth to let air dry the teeth naturally for three to four days, during which only porridge is allowed, absolutely no rice[3]. Once the teeth have taken the preparation, the dye is applied; done correctly, the teeth become glossy black, even, and permanent[3].
Besides aesthetics, those who dyed their teeth and those who made the dye say it disinfected, prevented gum inflammation, reduced tooth loss, and kept dyed teeth free of cavities[1][3]. This is the account of those involved, not a medical conclusion. As early as 1915, Phan Kế Bính recorded the same belief and rejected it: "Nói vậy vị tất đã phải, vì chán người nhuộm răng mà vẫn sâu răng" (that is hardly right, for plenty of people with dyed teeth still get cavities)[4].
How Did Mountain People Dye and File Their Teeth Differently from Lowland People?
The custom was not only among Kinh women but also among many mountain ethnic groups in the Central Trường Sơn range, including the Pa Cô, Vân Kiều, and Tà Ôi named in one report[1]. Note that this is a journalist's record in a specific area, not a complete list of all groups with the custom.
The difference between mountain and lowland women's teeth dyeing, as recorded in A Lưới district (now part of Huế city), is that mountain people also filed their teeth flat[1]. A Pa Cô elderly woman said that from about age 14 to 15, Pa Cô girls and boys were taught by their mothers to file their teeth; to make teeth glossy black and cavity-free, they pounded turda tubers with the black resin from a pipe and applied it day after day until the mixture dried, giving beautiful teeth that never faded[1].
Why Were Black Teeth Once Considered Beautiful?
In traditional Vietnamese society, black teeth were a standard of beauty. Folk verses rank black teeth fourth among a girl's charms:
- First love the hair falling like a rooster's tail
- Second love the sweet and charming speech
- Third love the dimpled cheeks
- Fourth love the glossy hạt huyền teeth[2]
Another folk verse mentions blackened teeth as part of beauty: "To marry a husband worthy of the name, worth the effort of painting rosy cheeks and black teeth"[2]. In the proclamation to soldiers at the Thọ Hạc oath ceremony (Thanh Hóa), King Quang Trung encouraged his generals to fight the Qing invaders with words mentioning the custom: "Fight so hair may be long, fight so teeth may be black"[2].
In modern literature, the image of black teeth also appears in poetry as a cultural beauty. Hoàng Cầm's poem Bên kia sông Đuống has the line "The black-toothed peddler girls, smiling like autumn spreading sunshine," later cited by many articles as a description of the graceful, gentle beauty of old Vietnamese women[3].
Conversely, white teeth were once considered crude. Notes by Bonnal, the first French resident in Hà Nội (1883 to 1885), in Au Tonkin, notes et souvenirs (Paris, 1925) write that children of both sexes are born white, but as they grow they dye them black, because otherwise it is shameful to have white teeth like a dog's[2]. Teeth dyeing was considered a fine custom of Tonkin, and white teeth were likened to dog's teeth or "white as a Ngô person's teeth"[2].
When Did the Black Teeth Dyeing Custom Disappear?
The decline was tied to social changes in the early 20th century. In March 1907, the Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục school opened on Hàng Đào Street (Hà Nội) to embrace new ideas, encourage quốc ngữ literacy, and promote industry[2]. In response, many Hà Nội men cut their topknots, and women bleached their black teeth white[2]. The first Hà Nội woman recorded to do so was Lương Thị Bẩy, daughter of cử nhân Lương Văn Can, a founder of Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục[2].
However, the custom did not vanish immediately. Many still considered white teeth improper[2]. The newspaper Phụ nữ thời đàm on 29 October 1933 described the modern Hà Nội girl with "white trousers, colored blouse, high heels... white teeth, side part...", stressing that modern girls needed new education and new thoughts[2]. Phong hóa newspaper also wrote of "replacing the ivory-white teeth with the black teeth"[2].
A medical thesis by Vũ Ngọc Quỳnh (Le laquage des dents en Indochine, Hà Nội, 1937) states that in 1936, the number of black-toothed women in Hà Nội aged 18 and under was very small[2]. Thus, the custom declined sharply in Hà Nội in the first three decades of the 20th century, tied to the rise of Western aesthetics and the reform movement.
In rural areas, the custom lasted longer. In a 2014 article, a 76-year-old woman in Lộc Bổn commune, former Phú Lộc district (now part of Huế city), said she dyed her teeth at 16, and then girls who did not were scolded by elders for imitating the West[1]. She said she belonged to the last generation of Vietnamese to dye their teeth[1].
The table below summarizes key milestones in the decline of the custom:
| Time | Event or record |
|---|---|
| Around 1st millennium BCE | Blackened teeth found at Đông Sơn site, Thanh Hóa[2] |
| March 1907 | Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục school founded; many Hà Nội people bleached their teeth[2] |
| 29 October 1933 | Phụ nữ thời đàm describes modern girl with white teeth[2] |
| 1936 | Very few black-toothed women in Hà Nội aged 18 and under[2] |
| 2010s | Remaining black-toothed people are mostly elderly women[1] |
The Last People Who Still Keep the Custom Today
By the 2010s, those with black teeth were only scattered in rural areas. In Lộc Bổn commune, Phú Lộc district (now part of Huế city), a 76-year-old woman still had glossy, even, strong black teeth, able to crack crab claws at family meals[1]. In the mountain district of A Lưới (now part of Huế city), an 85-year-old Pa Cô woman in Pe Dụt village still had deep black teeth and was one of the few who remembered the filing and dyeing custom[1].
The profession of making black teeth dye is also nearly lost. A family in the old quarter of Gia Hội, Huế city, of Minh Hương origin, made traditional medicine for over 100 years, with black teeth dye once a main product[3]. According to family accounts, in the grandmother's time, three generations back, the dye sold well because black teeth were considered elegant; families with girls aged 12 to 13 would buy it[3]. Today they make it not for a living but to preserve the memory of a custom that contributed to the cultural identity of the capital[3].
When modern aesthetics took white teeth as the standard, many older people, fearing ridicule, tried to bleach their black teeth, but afterwards the teeth became mottled and less attractive[3]. Some, looking back, admit that the old black teeth were truly strong teeth[3].
Is Black Teeth Dyeing Only a Kinh Custom?
No. As mentioned, it is also recorded among some mountain ethnic groups in the Trường Sơn range such as Pa Cô, Vân Kiều, and Tà Ôi[1]. In A Lưới, the Pa Cô also filed their teeth flat and used pounded turda tuber mixed with black pipe resin instead of the lowland dye[1].
Frequently Asked Questions
Does black teeth dyeing affect oral health?
According to accounts of those who dyed their teeth and practitioners, the dye was believed to disinfect, prevent gum inflammation, reduce tooth loss, and prevent cavities[1][3]. This is folk experience and insider accounts, not modern medical research. Phan Kế Bính, writing in 1915, held that the claim that dyeing prevents cavities "vị tất đã phải" (is hardly right), since plenty of people with dyed teeth still had cavities[4].
Why did people consider black teeth beautiful?
In traditional Vietnamese society, black teeth were tied to ideas of maturity, virtue, and discreet beauty. Folk verses rank black teeth fourth among a girl's charms[2], and white teeth were once considered crude, even likened to dog's teeth[2]. This view changed when Western culture entered and the new aesthetic standard took white teeth as beautiful.
Does anyone still dye their teeth black today?
The custom is now almost no longer widely practiced. Only a few people buy the dye to research, demonstrate, or preserve the custom[3]. Those who still have black teeth are mostly elderly women in some rural areas[1]. The profession of making the dye is nearly lost, with only a few families keeping the secret[3].
