A Consideration of Health Care Beliefs and Practices amongst the Vietnamese

Different cultures have different health practices, based on their beliefs. The Vietnamese are a group of
people of Austroasiatic origin who occupy northern Vietnam and Southern China. Their health beliefs are
based majorly on the belief of supernatural powers and the environment, especially where sickness is
concerned instead of biological factors.
In the case of birth, the community believes that two principles control a pregnancy, namely Yin and Yang.
Yin is related to the right side, cold and breath, while Ying is related to the left side, heat, and blood. The two
have to maintain an equal balance in order for a pregnancy to be successful. At birth, midwives or
experienced women help a pregnant woman to deliver, and she is not given anesthesia. She is however not
allowed to bathe after giving birth since it is believed that she will distort the balance between the two
principles. She is washed with an herbal solution or allowed to take a sponge bath for a period of 3 months
when it is believed that the two principles will be at balance.
During an illness, certain people go to priests who can communicate with higher beings for they believe that
sickness is bound to supernatural factors. Lowland peasants believe that illness is bound to the four elements
of nature, that is, water, earth, air and fire which are directly connected to wet, dry, cold and hot. They thus
seek traditional medicines, massages, and tonics. Dermabrasive procedures which follow the hot/cold
principle are used to treat coughs, backaches, nausea and other illnesses. Cutaneous hematomas are made on
the body except the genitals to get rid of extra air by pinching the skin or scratching the oiled skin with a
spoon. Air in a cup is heated and allowed to cool, and as it cools, it contracts and pulls the skin. Different
methods are used for different illnesses such as acupuncture which is used to treat arthritis.
On matters concerning death, the Vietnamese have a spiritual approach to dying. Removal of life support
requires proper family discussion before a decision is made and the family takes care of the body of the
deceased. A priest then prays over the body before it is buried.
The belief of the two principles can be applied in present day health practices to ensure that the hormonal
imbalance that results from childbirth returns to normal before a woman is allowed to engage in certain
practices. Acupuncture can also be used to relieve chronic pain caused by illnesses such as rheumatism or
arthritis.
Reference
Laborde, P. (1996). Vietnamese Cultural Profile. Ethnomed. Retrieved from
https://ethnomed.org/culture/vietnamese/vietnamese-cultural-profile