Tịnh xá Linh Quang: A Buddhist Monastery providing free traditional medicine to the Vietnamese for over 30 years

Linh Quang Monastery

Nestled in an alleyway, the Linh Quang is a charming Buddhist monastery located in District 4 of Ho Chi Minh City. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 3 pm, the Linh Quang Monastery operates a free traditional medicine clinic on-site, a charity that has remained active in the local community through word of mouth.

Free traditional medicine clinics in Vietnam have operated since the era of Tuệ Tĩnh, a 14th-century Buddhist monk and physician credited with founding Vietnamese traditional medicine. Believing that “'Vietnamese medicine should treat Vietnamese people,'" Tuệ Tĩnh aimed to make Vietnamese traditional medicine accessible to all classes. Thus, centuries later, monasteries and pagodas like Linh Quang continue to uphold this vision.

Sign reads: Traditional Medicine Clinic of the Linh Quang Monastery

On Thursday, August 7th, I arrived at Linh Quang Monastery, navigating through a maze of alleyways beyond the busy streets of District Four. Patients were seated on wooden benches and provided light refreshments as they awaited consultation or packaged medicine. Inside the clinic, I was introduced to Dr. Dr. Từ Thị Thu Thủy, an herbalist who has volunteered at the clinic since 1989. Starting with the roots of the clinic, she began by sharing the clinic's history in humanitarian aid. Dr. Thủy detailed, “the monks have been doing charity for over 30 years.” With a mission to serve all, the Linh Quang Monastery accepts patients from all backgrounds and social classes completely free of cost, she explained, emphasizing that “all those who have needs can come, [with] no distinction.”  Beyond its free clinic, Linh Quang Monastery also serves the community in multiple capacities. For example, beyond medicine, Dr. Thủy noted the monks of the pagoda also “raises orphans and disabled children.”

The financial accessibility of the clinic is made possible by support from the “Buddhist followers” of Linh Quang, who have funded the diverse acupuncture and herbal medicine services of the clinic. While other pagodas or monasteries have the space to cultivate their own medicinal plants, the herbal medicine pharmacy is supplied by medicinal plants Dr. Thủy purchases based on trends in patient needs at Chợ Lớn, a large traditional marketplace in Ho Chi Minh City. To make these raw herbal medicines ready for patients, Dr. Thủy and her team of volunteer pharmacists then organize and package prescriptions at the clinic.

Raw herbal medicines placed at the clinic entrance.

Further into my visit, I met a team of clinic pharmacists, all volunteers trained in traditional medicine pharmacy. At the pharmacy counter, the pagoda pharmacists gathered medicinal plants according to the patient consultation notes written by the attending physician, packaging various combinations to complete a patient's prescription. Medicinal plants, ranging from khổ qua (bitter melon) to mulberry tree branches (Tang Chi), were organized into drawers lining two walls of the clinic.

Medicine drawers lining the walls behind the pharmacy cocunter.

Lastly, at the end of my visit, I was led to observe the designated area for diagnosis and acupuncture treatment, run by a team of physicians. While some physicians worked to diagnose and understand the patients’ concerns, Dr. Thủy and others handled the electroacupuncture treatments of patients. Electroacupuncture was used to treat a diverse range of conditions, ranging from the back to the legs.

Electroacupuncture applied to the lower leg of a patient.

Visiting the Linh Quang free clinic allowed a glimpse into how traditional medicine continues to thrive in Vietnam today. As one of many pagodas operating free clinics to locals in need, Linh Quang Monastery represents a facet of Vietnamese heritage and culture today.