Three Weeks in a Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Hospital — What I Learned and Why It Matters for My Patients
When I signed up to spend three weeks training in a Traditional Medicine Hospital in Vietnam, I knew it would be a valuable experience. I’ve spent 13 years practising acupuncture with a deep belief in the power of holistic healthcare — so what I found there didn’t surprise me. What it gave me was something perhaps even more valuable: confirmation, at scale, of everything I had always known to be true.
As part of a group of eight international practitioners, I worked alongside doctors and professors across multiple departments of a busy hospital in Vietnam. It was intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding.
A Different Kind of Healthcare System
One of the first things that struck me was how Traditional Medicine is integrated into the healthcare system in Vietnam. Many acupuncturists there train as Medical Doctors before specialising in Traditional Medicine, which means modern and traditional medicine don't compete — they work side by side. It's a model that simply makes sense, and one I found deeply inspiring to witness in action.
In the hospital, patients receiving conventional Western treatment for a serious condition would also receive acupuncture and herbal medicine alongside it. Not as an alternative, but as a complement — and that included using acupuncture to treat the serious condition itself. A patient admitted for a neurological condition, for example, might receive acupuncture both as a direct treatment for that condition and to help with the back pain from being confined to a hospital bed, the anxiety of a frightening diagnosis, disrupted sleep, or the neuropathy that can result from chemotherapy. It was, in the truest sense of the word, holistic care — and seeing it function within a busy hospital setting was remarkable.
What I Worked On
During my three weeks I rotated across a wide range of wards — oncology, gynaecology, musculoskeletal, dermatology including shingles, stroke and Bell’s palsy, ENT, geriatrics, intensive care, urology, and post-operative care. We worked in small groups of four, which meant real hands-on experience rather than observation from a distance. The doctors were generous with their time and knowledge, and no question went unanswered.
New Techniques, Better Treatments
As well as clinical work on the wards, we had dedicated classroom days learning specific theories and techniques — including the Balance Method, deep tongue and pulse diagnosis and six-element Vietnamese acupuncture. These are approaches that complement what I already practise, and I’ve come back to Ireland with tools that will genuinely enhance the effectiveness of treatments for my patients.
Why This Matters
After 13 years in practice, I’ve seen firsthand what acupuncture can do — but this trip reminded me that there is always more to learn, and that the best outcomes for patients come from practitioners who keep pushing their own understanding forward. Whether you come to me with a longstanding chronic condition, something acute, or simply to maintain your wellbeing, the additional knowledge and techniques I’ve brought back from Vietnam will inform every treatment I give from here on.
If you’d like to book in, you can do so at https://www.kateduggan.ie/book-now — I’d love to see you in the clinic soon.