Traditional healers hone their skills in the "hell on earth" of Phu Quoc.

(Baonghean) - Captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Phu Quoc, witnessing his comrades being tortured, the communist soldier invented acupuncture needles to relieve pain and treat wounds, while also fighting for access to medicine..

"We pray that Father Thuc will realize that he is acting contrary to God's teachings."

Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Truong To (born in 1942) live in a small house in Block 9, Doi Cung Ward (Vinh City), where their daily work involves examining patients and dispensing medicine. When we visited, he opened a drawer and took out two small items. One was a small stack of paper, faded with time, with tiny, neatly written lines of text that were still quite legible.

The second item was a nail clipper with two earwax removers attached, each with a small ring. He brought these two items back from Phu Quoc prison, made by his own hands, and now they have become sacred mementos, worthless even for a thousand gold coins. Especially, he considered that small notebook a priceless possession, as it contained the medicinal recipes he had collected and recorded during his years in prison.

Mr. To confided: "Having lived 75 years, there are so many things to remember, but for me, the years in the imperialist prison are unforgettable. It wasn't just about imprisonment and torture; it was also a school that helped me cultivate character, willpower, medical ethics, and professional skills."

Despite his advanced age, Traditional Medicine Practitioner Nguyen Truong To remains dedicated to healing and saving lives. Photo: Tuong Anh.

During the war against the Americans, Nguyen Truong To served as a medical soldier on the Tri-Thien front. He witnessed countless times the deaths of his comrades and the suffering of soldiers wounded by enemy bombs and bullets. As a medical soldier, he always reminded himself to fulfill his duty, to do his best to treat the wounded so they could have the chance to return home to their families and hometowns. Saving a comrade's life was another joy in his life.

In mid-1968, during an unequal counter-insurgency battle, he braved enemy fire to evacuate wounded soldiers to the rear, but was wounded and fell unconscious. When he woke up, he realized he had been captured. He was transferred to Non Nuoc Prison (Da Nang), but after failing to extract any information from him, the enemy transferred him to Phu Quoc Prison (Kien Giang) – a place known as "hell on earth".

Witnessing his comrades suffering from beatings, oozing sores due to lack of antibiotics, and persistent, seemingly endless coughing fits, their bodies reduced to skin and bones, Mr. To couldn't hold back his tears. He proposed to the prison Party committee that the prisoners fight to demand that the enemy provide them with medicine and treatment. After many struggles, those seriously ill were finally examined and given medication.

Nguyen Truong To diligently guided people on how to treat illnesses, prescribing medications and treatment durations. In particular, for those who had been tortured by the enemy and suffered severe injuries, their entire bodies aching as if pricked by needles and rubbed with salt, he helped alleviate their pain through acupuncture. In such cases, acupuncture was the only way to improve blood circulation and expel toxins from the body.

Two mementos (a small notebook containing medicinal recipes and a nail clipper with two earwax removers) that Traditional Medicine Practitioner Nguyen Truong To brought back from Phu Quoc prison. Photo: Tuong Anh.

But in prison, where would they find acupuncture needles? Mr. To devised a way to gather small pieces of steel, further flatten them, sharpen them, and then roll them into needles. With this unique invention, he helped many comrades alleviate their physical pain.

Treating the sick in prison taught Nguyen Truong To valuable lessons, which he recorded in a small notebook. Later, when someone suggested a good remedy, he would also write it down so he could use it to treat and save people in the future. During his five years in prison (1968-1973), he compiled a whole notebook containing dozens of remedies and treatment methods.

On the day of his release under the Paris Agreement, prisoners of war were not allowed to carry anything across the border. Unable to discard his carefully written notes, Mr. To devised a way to swallow the stack of papers deep down his throat, ensuring the enemy wouldn't suspect anything during inspections. From then on, those papers became a "treasure," always cherished and carefully preserved.

After his release, Nguyen Truong To passed the entrance exam to Hanoi Medical University, graduated and worked at the Nghe An Department of Health, then became Chairman of the Provincial Traditional Medicine Association. He participated in compiling 10 works on traditional medicine, was awarded the Hai Thuong Lan Ong Prize by the Ministry of Health, and was honored with the title of Outstanding Traditional Medicine Practitioner by the Vietnam Traditional Medicine Association.

Tuong Anh