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56 EASTERN HORIZON | NEWS

BUDDHIST MONKS
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam -- Situated
along Nhieu Loc Canal in HCM City’s
OFFER FREE
District 1, Van Tho (Longevity) Pagoda
has been a trusted place for free
traditional cures for sprains, fractures
TRADITIONAL
and muscle and bone injuries for more
than 30 years.
TREATMENTS
Highly skilled and experienced herbalist
monks treat nearly 200 patients every
day, most of them poor labourers and
By San Ha, VietNamNet Bridge, Nov 19, 2017
old people.
The small clinic on one side of the
pagoda operates from 2pm to 5pm
every day except on Sundays and major
Buddhist festivals.

Lai Khac Chung, 37, a printing worker
from Tan Binh District, fell down a stair
and sprained an ankle, which swelled
up rapidly and very painfully.
“Now, after I visited the clinic two
times, I can walk normally and my leg
is not swollen or painful anymore,” he
said.

A monk applied some herb on the
sprained ankle and bandaged it and
asked him to return after three days to
get the herbs replaced. Ven. Thich Dong Thien, one of herbalists at the Van Tho (Longevity) Pagoda in HCM City’s District
1, treats a patient.

“When I was young, my mother used to
take me there to treat twisted ankles.
This is the second time I went there to
and even attracts people from other He has handed down his knowledge
treat a sprain,” he said.
provinces. and experience to other monks in the
pagoda, enabling them to run the clinic.
Almost all his relatives go to this
The Most Venerable Monk Thich Thanh
pagoda if they have a sprain, fracture,
Son, 88 years old, the head of the The Most Virtuous Monk Thich Dong
arthritis, or back pain, he said.
pagoda, founded the clinic in 1980. Thien, one of the herbalists in charge,
started working at the clinic in 2006
The monks use secret recipes made by
“At first people did not trust the clinic. following a six-year apprenticeship
fermenting herbs in wine.
But within five or six years it had after graduating in traditional medicine
become famous due to the efficacy of its from Pham Ngoc Thach University of
Patients who want to can donate money
methods. Now it is too crowded. Medicine in HCM City.
to the pagoda’s charity fund.
“The biggest happiness of my life is to He and the Most Virtuous Monk Thich
The highly effective treatment despite
see people recover from illness,” he said. Dong Thuan take turns to replace Son,
being free means the clinic is famous
when he is absent.