Fito, Museum of Traditional Medicines

      Fito is the first museum of traditional medicine in Vietnam. It looks like a villa, with a black ebony fence and two bamboo hedges at its gate. The museum is located at the end of a small road named Hoang Du Khuong in HCM City so it is not very popular, though it has more than 3,000 items and a library about Vietnamese traditional medicine.
Entering the museum, visitors are surrounded by a warm, ancient atmosphere. Most of rooms are decorated by red lacquer trimmed with gold paintings. The altar of the two founders of Vietnamese traditional medicine, Tue Tinh and Hai Thuong Lan Ong, is in the centre.
At the two sides of the altar are hoanh phi (horizontal lacquer boards engraved with Chinese characters), and cau doi (parallel sentences). Staircases are made of black wood with intricately-carved handrails. Even the house’s elevator is framed by black carved wood. Each storey has a space for trees and herbs.
Honouring Vietnamese traditional medicine
Fito Museum displays more than 3,000 objects, which are arranged in different topics. The collection of knives and boats to chop and grind medicines is the most special. This collection gathers very old items. Knives and boats are made of various materials, from stone to bronze, clay, timber, cast-iron, etc. The oldest item in this collection was fished out of the Red River; it was manufactured in the 6th century.
The museum also has collections of medicinal kettles and cups, which come from ancient pharmacies, of medicinal scales, medicinal mortar and pestles, medicinal alcohol jars, etc.
The museum has also re-built two old pharmacies featuring the northern and southern styles. Each pharmacy has medicinal chests, with small pillows on the table where patients put their arms for the doctor to feel the pulse and a medicinal scale. The medicinal chest has 81 drawers because 81 is believed to be a lucky number of ancient pharmacies.
The museum’s medicinal warehouse is the “centre of fragrance”, where the scents of hundred kinds of herbs spread out. There is a library of Han Nom books about Vietnamese traditional medicines, including a rare set of book by famous physician Hai Thuong Lan Ong.
The museum reserves a special room to honour 15 famous physicians of Vietnam, such as Chu Van An, Nguyen Truc, Nguyen Dai Nang, Tue Tinh, etc.
The most notable work in Fito is a wood painting of an ancient tree, which is carved with the name of the 100 most famous physicians. This work was made over two years by 50 craftsmen.
Visitors can practice grinding medicine, watch a documentary about the history of Vietnamese traditional medicine and taste a cup of linh chi tea before leaving the museum.
Fito Museum is at 41 Hoang Du Khuong, Ward 12, District 10, HCM City. This is the first private museum, owned by Le Khac Tam, the Director of a pharmaceutical company.
The museum has six storeys, totalling 18 rooms. Entrance tickets: VND32,000/adult, VND16,000/child and student. It is open for free on Saturday to Vietnamese visitors.