Professor Thu and 80cm needles

VietNamNet Bridge – He is called the “living legend”, the “king of needles” because he has brought happiness and the hope of living to thousands of patients. Holding secrets of acupuncture that would amaze the world, this Professor, Doctor of science Nguyen Tai Thu has to struggle to protect his acupuncture sector.

Prof. Thu is the founder of Tan cham (new acupuncture) school and the number-one acupuncturist in the world for “Mang cham” (snake needle), using needles of up to 80cm long.

From nothing, Prof. Thu and his colleagues have built a sizeable hospital specialising in acupuncture, expanded the Vietnam Acupuncture Association to 25,000 members, and trained 100 post-graduate acupuncturists.

Impressively, around 500,000 disabled children have been treated free of charge and nearly 1,250 drug addicts have been successfully rehabilitated by acupuncture.

Vietnam owns two outstanding acupuncture technologies invented by Prof. Thu: analgesic acupuncture and rehabilitation acupuncture for drug addicts. These acupuncture technologies have been introduced to 50 countries. Just 5-10% of the addicts who are rehabilitated by acupuncture use drugs again.

How did you start your acupuncture career?

I was a suicide member of the Capital Regiment in 1947. After that I was sent to study at the Medical University, and then researched oriental medicine in China. In 1967 I began to research acupuncture. Based on my experience and the achievements gained from acupuncture, I proposed the establishment of the acupuncture sector. At that time, the end of the 1970s, the country was in a very difficult situation so though my proposal received support from high-ranking leaders, the government could not give any material assistance. The initial infrastructure like houses, equipment, staffs, salary was zero.

The government wonderfully granted me a diplomatic passport so that I could go abroad as guest lecturer, to build my prestige to call for assistance to develop acupuncture in Vietnam.

I travelled around the world to teach acupuncture. I examined thousands of patients in the countries where I went. The effects of the acupuncture in disease treatment convinced people and doctors, humanitarian oganisations abroad and thus they supported our acupuncture.

Foreign people and organisations assisted me with cash, hospital beds, chemicals, and even a truck. I sold these things to get money to build an acupuncture hospital. The Central Acupuncture Hospital was built in a desert field.

You have devoted your whole life to acupuncture. Recently you received a retirement decision. How did you receive it?

I suddenly received a decision dismissing me from the post of Director of the Central Acupuncture Hospital. According to regulations, I had to retire 17 years ago but 17 years ago, when the acupuncture sector was in its infancy, nobody told me to retire but now when everything is favourable, they suddenly told me to leave off work.

I don’t demand anything for myself, but I’m not satisfied that before sending the retirement decision to me, I was not informed in advanced. This makes me feel disrespected.

Though you have retired but you still work hard at the age of 77?

While leaders of the Health Ministry let me to retire and don’t use my knowledge, experience and my dedication anymore, tens of foreign agencies have invited me to work for them. That’s the way of using personnel! Moreover, the retirement decision means and end to all of my activities at the acupuncture hospital. Luckily, the successor is an old student of mine so I can still use my office and examine patients who come to see me.

There is another decision that we don’t know what to do with. That’s the change of the name of the Vietnam Acupuncture Institute into the Central Acupuncture Hospital of the Health Minister. We were not informed in advance about this as well. It is problematic that an institute is allowed to train students while a hospital is unable. We always expect to train the next generation of acupuncturists to further develop this traditional medicine.

What do you predict about the future of acupuncture in Vietnam?

It will never die young. We have campaigned to have the decision to establish the Acupuncture Training Centre of Vietnam. I and my colleagues will try our best to fulfill our historic role and mission.

To build and develop the acupuncture sector of Vietnam like it is today, training is the key. I will try to develop this centre strong till I die (smile). 

(Source: PL THHCM/TT)