The story of black copper has attracted the attention of many people in Vietnam. What is the truth about this metal?
What is Black Copper? The Rumors of a Super Metal
“Black copper” in Vietnam is a type of metal that has appeared in folklore and oral traditions. Until now, there has been no scientific research specifically investigating what black copper is or how it is produced.
One document suggests that black copper is pure red copper mixed with tin, phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, and silicon. This type of alloy is easier to cast, more durable, less heavy, less prone to rust, and cheaper than other types of copper, which is why it has been widely used throughout human history. In the Middle East, there was even an “Age of Black Copper” that began around 4,000 BC. The “Age of Black Copper” ended when iron was discovered, as iron has many advantages over black copper.
Scientists still do not truly know what black copper is.
However, the type of black copper rumored in Vietnam has completely different properties. According to this belief, black copper is an extremely rare metal made from an alloy of copper and other valuable metals such as gold, silver, tin, or zinc… Some even claim that black copper is a piece of meteorite that fell from space to Earth, hence it is called meteorite black copper. Notably, it is said to only fall around the regions of Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand…
According to Công an Nhân dân, many years ago, when responding to viewers about black copper in the KCT program, Professor Nguyễn Lân Dũng stated: “Until now, scientists still do not truly know what black copper is; they only know that it contains copper, gold, and many other components that have yet to be identified“. Professor Nguyễn Lân Dũng’s response leads us to believe that black copper seems to be something real, but it has not been seen or studied.
The “Power” of Black Copper
The characteristics of black copper are only heard through… word of mouth. Specifically, it is rumored that black copper has radioactive properties, that fire will extinguish when brought near it, and if glass is brought close to it, it will crack and break… However, there are no research documents that mention or record these claims.
In 2006, Công an Nhân dân recounted a story told by a commune chief in Thái Sơn. According to him, when he went to observe the testing of black copper by a group of people, many “strange phenomena” occurred.
“A customer placed a rather thick glass plate inside a cabinet and locked it. A while later, when he opened it, the glass was cracked like a drought-stricken rice field. Several people who approached the cabinet tried to light a fire, but none could ignite it, even after using an entire box of matches. Some even brought candles near the cabinet, and the flames went out,” this official reported.
Some people hired antique experts, scientists, and chemists to test black copper using modern machinery and methods, yet they were also convinced by the words of these “experts.”
A well-known antique dealer in Hanoi recounted that he had seen a piece of black copper no larger than a cigarette pack, but it felt very heavy, possibly around 3 kg. Strangely, when he dropped the piece of black copper into a basin of iron (it must be an iron basin), the black copper did not sink but remained suspended. Furthermore, if a real gold ring was rubbed against it, the gold would turn white like aluminum. Alarmingly, if someone accidentally touched black copper, they would feel exhausted for several days afterward (?!).
The value of black copper has been greatly exaggerated.
Exposing the Deception
The information about black copper turns out to be merely a fabrication by scam groups. According to Công an Nhân dân, the tricks of glass cracking or fire extinguishing when brought close to black copper are just “magic tricks.” The scammers would heat a glass plate in a sand pan. When the glass is hot, dropping a few drops of water on it would cause it to crack. During the testing, they would quickly switch the cracked glass with an intact one. Alternatively, they would glue the broken glass back together. When placed near a piece of black copper, just a slight weight would cause the glass to shatter again.
While performing this demonstration, the scammers also tried to inflate the price of black copper with claims like “NASA is in urgent need of this metal, with prices reaching tens of millions of USD for a single piece.” They would also take victims to staged homes where dozens of people were competing for a piece of “precious metal.” The targets of these scam groups are often wealthy individuals who are fond of antiques and collecting precious minerals.
Thus, it is clear that black copper is just a myth created by scam groups to seize the property of victims.
Black Copper in Vietnamese History
Black copper has been mentioned in historical stories with a mythical hue.
In the tale “The Legend of West Lake”, during the Lý dynasty, our country faced a severe shortage of metals due to being plundered by China. At that time, a powerful sorcerer named Không Lộ appeared in Đại La. He took a cloth bag to China, directly into the emperor’s treasury, and magically retrieved items more precious than gold, called black copper.
The Song emperor was furious upon discovering this and sought to kill Không Lộ. However, the Vietnamese monk managed to escape. Upon returning, he gathered blacksmiths from across the country to forge a massive black copper bell in the shape of a lotus.
The Vietnamese blacksmiths built a temple next to West Lake to honor monk Không Lộ for teaching them the method of casting copper. The Lý king granted the monk the title of God of Casting. This tale about black copper carries a legendary quality, so its value cannot be concluded based solely on this.
Another historical story also relates to black copper, specifically concerning the large statue at the Quán Thánh Temple on Thanh Niên Street.
The Quán Thánh Temple was built during the reign of King Lý Thái Tổ (1010 – 1028) and is dedicated to the deity Trấn Vũ, a figure that combines a Vietnamese mythological character who helped An Dương Vương ward off evil spirits while building the Cổ Loa citadel and a Chinese mythological figure guarding the North.
According to Công an Nhân dân, inside the temple is a statue of the deity Trấn Vũ made of black copper, cast in 1667. The statue stands 3.96 meters tall, with a circumference of 3.48 meters, and weighs 3.6 tons. The statue depicts a seated figure, with the left hand making a gesture and the right hand holding a sword. The sword’s body is entwined with a snake and rests on the back of a turtle. The statue resembles a Taoist priest. It can be said that this is a unique artistic work that marks the copper casting techniques of the people of Hanoi centuries ago.
However, the material used for the statue is simply “black-colored copper” and not a metal with magical powers as rumored. Many people have brought mirrors, lighters, and incense near the statue, even allowing gold to touch it, but nothing unusual occurred. Therefore, black copper remains a concept that exists only in legendary stories fabricated by scam groups.
