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From traditional medicine
Witnessing the widespread dengue fever epidemic during the rainy season in the Central region, many families had to use chemical mosquito repellents but the effectiveness was not high, Dang Vu Nhan was interested in finding a solution to prevent mosquitoes based on the knowledge of Eastern medicine that he had been exposed to since childhood.
Born into a family with four generations of traditional medicine practitioners, Nhan said that he has been familiar with herbs such as lemongrass, mint, perilla, basil, and tangerine peel since he was in elementary school. He even helped his father dry herbs, chop mugwort, or prepare ointments to treat colds according to traditional family recipes.

I find that chemical mosquito coils often have a strong smell, which can easily cause headaches for people with sinusitis, while traditional herbs have a mild, pleasant smell, and can be combined to relax, relieve colds and prevent diseases. Lighting a herbal bud in the evening helps repel mosquitoes and creates a cozy space after a day of work."
Dang Vu Nhan
From a basic understanding of the medicinal properties of plants in the garden, combined with knowledge learned at school, Nhan began experimenting with grinding natural ingredients, then mixing and creating blocks with Litsea bark powder - a type of vegetable glue used to completely replace chemical glue.
[ VIDEO ] - Dang Vu Nhan shares the reason for researching and producing herbal buds to repel mosquitoes:
The production process includes many stages of harvesting medicinal herbs, pre-processing, drying, grinding into powder, mixing, molding, sun-drying or drying. Each pyramid-shaped herbal bud has a burning time of about 20 minutes, but the essential oil from the herbs lingers in the air and can effectively repel mosquitoes for 4 to 6 hours.
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"The main formula I use is completely natural, including lemongrass, mint, perilla, mugwort, basil, tangerine peel and adhesive from the bark of the Litsea tree. These are ingredients that are easy to find in the home garden, environmentally friendly, low cost and close to life" - Nhan said.
Product Optimization
After completing the formula and creating the prototype, Nhan asked teachers from the University of Science and Technology - Danang University to conduct many tests on the effectiveness of the product. With the support of sensor equipment, the team determined the time when mosquitoes left the space with smoke from the burning bud, as well as the time when mosquitoes returned. The results showed that after a few minutes of use, most of the mosquitoes in the experimental area flew away and only returned after many hours, the effect was more obvious when the space had little wind and was closed.
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In terms of safety, Nhan said the product does not produce toxic gases when burned. Smoke samples after burning were sent to the laboratory for testing and the results showed that the content of volatile organic compounds (VOC), CO, and CO₂ were all within safe limits. The product meets standards for non-irritation and can be used in rooms with children, the elderly, or people with mild respiratory diseases.
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"I am still experimenting with new formulas to improve burning time, essential oil diffusion and product durability during transportation. At the same time, I am learning more about packaging design and market segmentation to bring the product closer to consumers. In the near future, I plan to develop more products such as scented bags, room essential oils, herbal teas to form an herbal ecosystem with clear origins and practical use values" - Nhan shared.
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Wishing to pursue a career in Traditional Medicine after graduating from high school, Nhan determined that getting acquainted with medicinal herbs and oriental medicine preparations from now on is a prerequisite for him to continue preserving and promoting the knowledge left by his grandparents.
[VIDEO] - Dang Vu Nhan shares about upcoming directions:
"Vietnam's medicinal herbs are very rich, each region has its own herbal specialties. What I care about is how to make people see that using traditional medicine, essential oils or natural products is not outdated, but a civilized and scientifically based direction" - Dang Vu Nhan added.
Outstanding achievements of Dang Vu Nhan:
- First Prize in the Provincial Science and Technology Competition for the 2023-2024 school year organized by the Department of Education and Training of Quang Nam province (old).
- Attended the Central Region Creative Youth Festival and received a Certificate of Merit from the Central Youth Union for scientific creativity.
- Second prize in the "Searching for Quang Nam Startup Talent" contest in 2025 with the mosquito-repellent herbal bud project.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/nu-thao-duoc-duoi-muoi-cua-mot-hoc-sinh-me-y-hoc-co-truyen-3297967.html
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