Most of the raw materials for traditional medicine production in Vietnam are imported, but this market is being manipulated by traders, and the quality is not being tested. Among the practitioners, there are many who have little knowledge of medicine and have only studied for a few months to “standardize” their skills.
At a conference on traditional medicine on the morning of October 13, Deputy Minister of Health Le Ngoc Trong stated: “Currently, we are not only dependent on foreign sources for modern medicine, but also for traditional medicine. Although Vietnam is home to many medicinal plants, we still need to import 70-80% of our traditional medicine raw materials, and these are of poor quality that has already been filtered out. Traders buy them and then sell them to production companies. This situation continues to exist because we have not been able to test the quality of medicinal materials.”
Mr. Le Luong Dong, Acting Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine, also acknowledged: “The distribution and circulation of medicines and medicinal materials are primarily in the hands of traders. They control prices and types across the country, even though most of them have no expertise. This monopoly has been ongoing for decades.” He also noted that uncontrolled imports and the illegal practices of traders are severely degrading the quality of traditional medicine. The management of medicinal material quality is increasingly in crisis, if not completely neglected.
Even with domestically cultivated medicinal materials, regulatory and professional agencies cannot control quality. Most goods are sourced from various informal channels as Vietnam lacks large-scale specialized medicinal herb farms. Medicinal materials are harvested indiscriminately, without adhering to specific seasons, leading to unstable active ingredient content. Deputy Minister Le Ngoc Trong mentioned that no one can be sure whether the medicinal materials are processed correctly: “For example, some medicinal ingredients need to be buried in the ground, but people just roast and dry them quickly, missing a step that can reduce their therapeutic effectiveness. As for preservation, even in the warehouses of traditional medicine hospitals, standards are not met; medicines are stored in dirty sacks on the floor and exposed to contaminated surfaces, leading to significant mold issues.” According to Mr. Trong, Vietnam has yet to issue a technical procedure for the production, processing, preservation, and use of traditional medicine. This procedure is currently being prepared by the Ministry of Health and will take at least five years to complete.
The quality of medicines is poor, and the quality of practitioners is not much better. Mr. Le Ngoc Trong expressed frustration: “We are currently promoting the standardization of practitioners, but this process is not truly ‘standardized‘. Those who already have knowledge of medicine and study to improve their skills are one thing, but many who have no knowledge of medicine attend quick courses for a few months and then return to treat patients, which poses a serious risk to public health. Many localities are rushing to open classes to collect fees without addressing this issue.“
The demand for treatment through traditional medicine is growing, while management remains lax, leading to an increase in “fake” practitioners. Many individuals who are not officially recognized as practitioners learn a few tricks and then advertise that they can cure all ailments, including cancer. The Ministry of Health once received a letter from someone claiming to have a family secret for curing AIDS (when the disease first appeared) and stated they had cured many people, demanding official recognition. However, upon investigation, it was found that the patients considered cured of AIDS were actually suffering from skin ulcers and tested HIV-negative. The dangerous part is that many self-proclaimed healers claim to cure cancer and AIDS and treat patients without the approval of health regulatory agencies.
Professor Trong recounted: “Once, the Ministry of Health investigated reports of a practitioner curing acute leukemia in children. The patient’s family believed that the herbal medicine helped, but upon deeper inquiry, it was revealed that about half a month prior, the child had been taken to the hospital for a blood transfusion due to pale skin. The practitioner in question even encouraged the patient to undergo blood transfusions alongside taking his medicine, leading the patients to believe their condition improved thanks to him.“
These stories illustrate that the authorities are well aware of the negative aspects of private traditional medicine practices but have not found effective solutions. Management in this field continues to be conducted using methods intended for modern medicine, which inevitably leads to unresolved discrepancies.
Hải Hà
