Nguyễn Tài Thu

Nguyễn Tài Thu (6 April 1931 – 14 February 2021) was a Vietnamese physician, well-known for his specialty in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), notably acupuncture treatment. He was awarded various titles. He also had relations with 38 different countries in the world about science technology and was a professor and honorary doctor of 16 overseas universities. Because of his achievements in research and application, he was then called The King of Acupuncture, etc. In 1952, he followed his dream to become a acupuncturist, he then first tried learning to insert acupuncture needles in himself and finally inserting them in people. In 1953, after studying the first year in Resistance Medical University (now called Hanoi Medical University), he was sent to China to study traditional Chinese medicine for 6 years. He graduated as TCM doctor in 1958, and came back to Vietnam to serve several local military hospitals. In the end of 1950s, he invented a new acupuncture technique which later was called tân châm, literally means renew acupuncture.

Achievements His biggest achievement is many books focusing on each type of acupuncture, which are the useful handbooks for doctors and acupuncturists. Specially, the numb acupuncture and drug addiction treatment acupuncture (which was also applied by Ministry of Health, resulting in 5% to 10% of drug re-addicted people) were introduced to 50 countries. He also applied successfully long-needle technique of acupuncture with the needle length of over 60 centimeters to insert into acupuncture points that are deep in the body to cure disease.

In the late 1950s, he invented tân châm (renew acupuncture), which is a acupuncture technique using longer and bigger needles than traditional acupuncture technique. The traditional one uses 1 to 5 centimeters length needles while the renew one uses 30 to 50 centimeters length needles that are needed for deep acupuncture points to create huge impact and shorten treatment time.

On 8 March 2006, Professor Thu was awarded an honorary doctorate by Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ), to recognize the professor's contributions to the development of local acupuncture therapeutic services in Zacatecas state, Mexico.