On September 22, in Nha Trang City, the Association of Admirers of Doctor A. Yersin held a ceremony to celebrate his 161st birthday.
Doctor A. Yersin was born on September 22, 1863, in the mountainous countryside of Lavaux, Vaud County, Switzerland. During his 80 years of life, he spent 52 years living and being attached to the land and people of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa .
Doctor A.Yersin
In 1891, Dr. A. Yersin worked on a ship running the newly opened Saigon - Hai Phong maritime route. During the trips from North to South, the ship always stopped in Nha Trang. Every time he came to Nha Trang, he was fascinated by the natural scenery and climate of this land. From then on, he decided to move to Nha Trang to live in a wooden house in Xom Con and open a clinic to treat people...
He was the one who discovered the plague bacteria and co-researched and successfully produced a treatment serum; the one who experimentally planted many types of industrial and medicinal plants in Suoi Dau; the one who discovered the Lang Biang plateau (Lam Dong province), Hon Ba; the one who founded the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, Hanoi Medical School (the predecessor of today's Hanoi Medical University)...
His kindness was welcomed by the people of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa and they considered him a benefactor, so when he passed away, people cried, mourned, visited, and saw him off in large numbers, some people set up an altar for him according to Vietnamese customs. He was buried on a low hill in Suoi Dau (now in Suoi Cat commune, Cam Lam district) with a very simple grave.
At the ceremony, Mr. Dong Luong Son, Chairman of the Association of Admirers of Doctor A. Yersin, said that there have been many controversies and concerns about whether Doctor A. Yersin was buried face down or face up when he died, because there are many anecdotes that his last wish was "to be buried face down, with his arms outstretched to embrace the entire land of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa".
Mr. Dong Luong Son, Chairman of the Association of Admirers of Doctor A. Yersin
According to Mr. Son, in Dr. A. Yersin's will, he only requested to be buried simply, without any elaborate details or eulogy. There is currently no document to prove that he was buried face down.
However, burying him face down is also possible because his love for Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa is so great and the people here consider him as a blood relative in the family, so when he died, they mourned him. "Today, I hope the delegates consider this as possible because the career of doctor A. Yersin is so great; his love for Khanh Hoa is something that cannot be doubted or argued about," said Mr. Son.
The Association of Dr. A. Yersin Admirers in Khanh Hoa Province was established in 1992. Over the past 30 years, the association has become a bridge to spread the spirit of Dr. A. Yersin to generations of Khanh Hoa people and friends near and far. In 32 years of operation, the association has constantly developed in the fields of humanities, science, and humanitarianism and has had great influence and prestige at home and abroad. The association has done a good job in foreign affairs, connecting many international organizations and individuals to promote the valuable assets that Dr. A. Yersin left behind; coordinated with domestic and international press agencies and television stations to produce many films and books about Dr. A. Yersin in both Vietnamese and French. The association has many activities to contribute to caring for the poor and helping people in difficult flood-hit areas. The charity clinic of the association at 11 Sinh Trung, Nha Trang City regularly welcomes patients in difficult circumstances to come for examination and receive free medicine. Every year, on holidays and Tet, the association gives many gifts to poor families; gives bicycles, Yersin scholarships to help poor students with good academic performance on their way to school...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bac-si-ayersin-duoc-chon-nhu-the-nao-o-khanh-hoa-185240922100742631.htm
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