The Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine

I'm a big museum guy.

In fact, the weirder or more obscure the museum, the better!

During our recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, my wife and I decided to visit the Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine. My wife is a veterinarian, and her sister is a pharmacist, and so our house is rather a "medical" house. We thought it would be fascinating to see where the medicinal tradition of our region came from.

Opening the door to the museum, we were greeted by a friendly curator who handed us a map and directed us to the third floor. Exiting the antique elevator, we came upon a shrine to two of ancient Vietnam's most renowned and venerated doctors (Hai Thuong Lan Ong [18th century] and Tue Tinh [14th century]). The two doctors are considered to be the fathers of Vietnamese medicine.

The museum was built within an old house, and each room held an eclectic collection of herbs, medicines, and artifacts. 

One room was dedicated to herbal foot baths! During certain times, visitors can even try this relaxing treatment, but this part of the museum wasn't open when we were there.

Many of the exhibits consisted of powders, tinctures, and things in jars - along with a short explanation about what each medicine was used for. Some of them were creepier than others!

Snake wine is common throughout Southeast Asia and is still used for a number of traditional remedies. It's also popular with tourists as a souvenir with which to scare their friends back home.

These ginkgo roots were carved to look like powerful sages. I don't know the significance. Perhaps it's to give the medicine greater potency.

Before leaving, we were given a cup of mushroom herbal tea to enjoy. Apparently, it's really good for you!