In many countries around the world, especially developing ones, traditional medicine plays a pivotal role in healthcare in addition to modern medicine.

A child patient with distorted mouth due to damage to the cranial nerve 7 receiving acupuncture treatment at the Da Nang Traditional Medicine Hospital

Modern medicine has done much in the fields of infectious diseases and emergencies to aid cure. In most other fields, it is mostly control that it aims for, which is another name for palliation.

Meanwhile, traditional medicine proves to be quite effective in treating both chronic diseases and short and long-term sequelae of stroke.

Over recent years, the Da Nang Traditional Medicine Hospital has increasingly won trust of patients from the city and its neighbours thanks to its high quality healthcare services and talented staff. The majority of patients are the elderly who have been suffering from chronic diseases, and they have been treated with modern methods but are not effective.

Most notably, Da Nang has recently seen a growing number of foreign travellers seeking both leisure and healthcare services with traditional medicine medthods during their stay in the city.

The main reason is thought to be that Da Nang boasts abundant and organic resources of medicinal herbs, ensuring the safety for patients. Additionally, the city is home to a wide range of traditional Vietnamese medicines such as Ngoc Linh ginsengs, green lima mushrooms, Tra My cinnamon, peppermint, and cajuput.

Grasping the opportunity, Da Nang has accelerated the development of lucrative medical tourism.

Specifically, the Da Nang Traditional Medicine Hospital opened its Health Tourism Unit which provides herbal medicine treatment and rehabilitation for tourists in 2017. After nearly 3 years of operation, the unit has affirmed its reputation in both Viet Nam and the world.

The unit has provided medical check-ups and treatments for hundreds of foreigners over recent years. Many of them came from such foreign countries as South Korea, Japan, China, the USA and France.

Numerous modern methods are being used in treatments at the unit, including acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal massage, chiropractic, cupping, physiotherapy, and thread embedding.

Besides, the unit has fed its research findings into its new herbal product development.

Additionally, the unit has effectively used advanced treatment technologies transferred from foreign countries, including acupuncture and facial palsy treatment from the Kyung Hee University in South Korea’s Seoul, and stroke treatment from the USA-based Steady Footsteps non-governmental organisation.

By PHAN CHUNG - Translated by M.D