UNESCO to memorialize progenitor of Viet Nam’s traditional medicine

The UNESCO General Conference on November 21 passed a resolution on the list of 53 eminent personalities and historical events commemorated in 2023 - 2024 at its 42nd session in Paris, France.

The commemoration targets to honor the Vietnamese traditional medicine for his contributions and merits to Viet Nam’s medicine, culture, and folklore.

Earlier, Viet Nam prepared a related dossier and submitted it to UNESCO for recognition, which was highly evaluated by international experts.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that famous physician Le Huu Trac was a historical figure who left a treasure of great values in the fields of medicine, culture, and education.

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to UNESCO, said that Viet Nam's nomination dossier was carefully prepared and highly appreciated by international experts, met the standards and criteria set by UNESCO, especially following the organization's ideals and missions in the fields of education, science, culture, and information - communications, contributing to promoting peace, cultural dialogue, and mutual understanding among nations.

Le Huu Trac was born in 1724 in Hai Duong province. He lived mostly in his mother’s home village in Ha Tinh province from the age of 26 until he died. A great doctor who made great contributions to Vietnamese traditional medicine, he excellently inherited the medical career of Zen Master Tue Tinh.

Le Huu Trac left many great works such as Hai Thuong Y Tong Tam Linh of 28 volumes written in 66 books that cover the essence of traditional medicine. It’s considered the best medical work from Viet Nam’s medieval period.

So far, UNESCO has approved resolutions honoring and commemorating the birth/death anniversaries of several Vietnamese figures, namely the 600th birth anniversary of Nguyen Trai (approved in 1980), the 100th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (1990), the 250th birth anniversary of Nguyen Du (2015), the 650th death anniversary of Chu Van An (2019), the 200th birth anniversary of Nguyen Dinh Chieu (2021), the 250th birth and 200th death anniversaries of Ho Xuan Huong (2021), and the 300th birth anniversary of Hai Thuong Lan Ong Le Huu Trac (2023)./.