Restoring the Ancient Medicine Garden

Unique

The Duoc Son medicinal garden is located on Nam Tao mountain, south of Kiep Bac temple. According to historical records, since the 13th century, the Tran dynasty has attached great importance to the use of traditional medicinal plants to care for people's health and treat soldiers' wounds. Hung Dao Vuong was always concerned about building medicinal gardens to proactively treat diseases and wounds. Before the second resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army (1285), Hung Dao Vuong, his wife, Princess Thien Thanh, and General Pham Ngu Lao worked hard to grow many precious medicinal herbs on Nam Tao mountain, in Van Kiep fief. Therefore, this mountain also has another name, Duoc Son (medicinal mountain).

During the Le Dynasty, the Duoc Son medicinal garden was still preserved and developed to more than 10 hectares with the name of Duoc Linh Co Vien. The medicinal garden was classified as an ancient bowl of Chi Linh, a place containing many values and also a beautiful and charming landscape. Medicinal plants in Duoc Son were passed down by the people in the area. The medicinal profession in Kiep Bac also originated from here and has been passed down for many generations. In Kiep Bac Temple, in the mother shrine, there is a horizontal plaque "Duoc Linh U Dam", praising Duc Nguyen Tu Quoc Mau with her noble medicinal profession in Duoc Son, as beautiful as the U Dam flower of Buddhism.

According to statistics from the Central Institute of Traditional Medicine in the 70s (20th century), at that time, Duoc Son had about 600 species of cultivated plants and wild plants called "medicinal plants". By 2010, on Duoc Son and some neighboring mountains, there were still about 300 medicinal plants. Unfortunately, over time, the medicinal garden gradually disappeared. Currently, households that have contracted forest land in the medicinal garden area have renovated it, planted timber trees and fruit trees.

However, with special conditions and favorable natural conditions, many medicinal plants on Duoc Son still grow and develop. According to research, there are currently about 100 species of plants in Duoc Son that contain high medicinal content, the most being the milkweed plant, passionflower, clematis, polygonum multiflorum, cogon grass, yellow clematis, white gloves, crow's beak... These plants have high medicinal value, can cure many diseases of digestion, trauma, rheumatism, spinal degeneration, typhoid, cirrhosis... Local people as well as visitors from all over still keep the custom of asking for medicinal leaves at Duoc Son to cure diseases.

Dr. Le Duy Manh, Deputy Head of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relic Management Board, said: "Through some research documents, it shows that Duoc Linh Co Vien is the first national medicinal garden in our country and is still unique to this day."

Survey team at some points of the planned medicinal herb garden.jpg — The working group of the city's health sector and related departments, branches, sectors and units surveyed the location of the ancient Pharmacy on the map.

Early restoration and promotion of traditional values

As one of the eight ancient relics of the ancient Chi Linh land, the restoration of the ancient Duoc Linh garden not only has the meaning of preservation, but also has the effect of education , helping people better understand the role of Van Kiep base in the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army, about the historical and cultural values of the Chi Linh land, "a land of talented people".

To preserve this precious medicinal garden, in 2010, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 920/QD-TTg "Approving the master plan of the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site associated with tourism development in Chi Linh town, Hai Duong province", with an investment capital of about 1,600 billion VND. In which, Duoc Son medicinal garden is located in a special protection zone, belonging to the group of restoration and embellishment projects with a total area of 20,000 ^m2 . However, due to the priority of implementing more necessary works and items, up to now, Duoc Linh ancient garden has not been restored as desired.

Previously, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province issued a plan to develop traditional medicine services and products for tourists until 2030. In particular, Hai Duong province requested to urgently restore the ancient medicinal garden of Duoc Son, focusing on researching and restoring precious medicinal plants typical of Hai Duong in general and the Duoc Son mountain area in particular.

In September 2025, the Department of Health and a number of city departments, branches, and related units organized a field survey team at the ancient medicinal garden. Through the field survey, Director of the City Department of Health Le Minh Quang emphasized: The ancient medicinal garden is one of the eight ancient gardens of the ancient Chi Linh land, so the restoration of the ancient medicinal garden is necessary and requires the consensus of the relevant departments, branches, and especially the people here. Based on the comments after the survey, the health sector will synthesize and develop a detailed plan to advise the City People's Committee on the restoration of the medicinal garden of Duoc Son, part of the Con Son - Kiep Bac National Special Relic Site, ensuring the preservation and promotion of the historical, cultural, and traditional medical values of the nation.

NGOC THANH

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/phuc-hoi-duoc-linh-co-vien-524120.html