With rich knowledge of medicinal materials in nature, Dao ethnic minority people in Tu Son commune of Kim Boi district have practiced traditional medicine for generations and brought their long-standing therapies into play in the current life.
Phung Thi Hien (first, right), a resident in Thung Dao
Bac hamlet of Tu Son commune (Kim Boi district), introduces precious medicinal
plants of the Dao ethnic minority group.
Phung Thi Hien was born to a family having four
generations practicing traditional medicine in Thung Dao Bac hamlet of Tu Son
commune. After graduating from high school, she enrolled on the Tue Tinh
traditional medicine school with the hope of preserving traditional remedies
and adding new knowledge to her ethnic group’s remedies.
After nearly 20 years of working and gaining
experience, now she has wide knowledge of over 120 medicinal materials and a
number of remedies for bone, joint, stomach, liver, and kidney illnesses, among
others.
Hien said she had learnt those remedies from her
mother. Each remedy contains tens or even hundreds of herbal ingredients.
Patience, prudence, and wholeheartedness are needed to practice traditional
medicine. Sometimes, it takes even months in forest to seek enough ingredients
for a remedy.
To develop medicinal plants for use in the Dao
people’s traditional remedies and also create jobs and improve the life quality
in Thung Dao Bac, Hien established Phung Gia (Phung Family) traditional
medicine cooperative with seven members in 2019. Since the cooperative’s
inception, local residents have replaced traditional crops with medicinal
plants as natural resources are limited and they also want to preserve the
precious genetic sources in the face of overexploitation.
The cooperative sold its products mainly in the
northern region, especially Hanoi, Hung Yen, and Vinh Phuc, earning more than 3
billion VND (119,500 USD) in total revenue in 2023.
To scale up production, in April 2024, the Phung
Gia traditional medicine cooperative was dissolved to establish the Thien Nam
Green Herbs Co. Ltd., based in Ve hamlet of Dong Bac commune, Kim Boi district.
The company is applying high technology to improve product quality, promoting
activities under production chain, and aligning medicinal plant cultivation
with market demand, thus working towards the sustainable development of traditional
medicine.
Bui Van Lam, Vice Chairman of the People’s
Committee of Tu Son commune, said to preserve the traditional medicine of the
Dao people and build a brand, the local Party Committee and administration will
conduct a survey of medicinal plants in forest and step up communications to
encourage local residents to join hands in preserving and developing the
valuable plants.
Aside from curing illnesses, traditional
medicine also helps the Dao people improve their income and quality of life.
However, authorities and the community still need to give more attention and
support so as to sustainably develop medicinal plants and generate better
economic benefits for local residents, he added.
The People’s Committee of Lac Son district held a ceremony on April 28 to receive the provincial relic certificate for the ancient rock carving site at Suoi Co stream, located in My Thanh commune.
A special music show titled "The country is in the fullness of joy” has been held at Hoa Binh Square in Hoa Binh city in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975–2025).
The People's Committee of Lo Son commune, Tan Lac district, has organised the local annual traditional stream fishing festival on April 19 - 20.
As a land deeply intertwined with human history and Vietnam’s millennia-long journey of nation-building and defence, Hoa Binh is often revered for its epic tales and legends.
Residents of Hoa Binh boast a rich cultural identity, reflected in their unique language, traditional attire, customs, and folk melodies – described as "sweet as honey, clear as a mountain stream.”
Lac Son district’s Vu ban town held the 2025 Truong Kha temple festival on April 12–13 (the 15th–16th days of the third lunar month). Since its revival in 2019, the festival has been organised every three years, preserving valuable intangible heritage while meeting the community’s cultural and spiritual needs.
