day 841

From Lonely Planet Vietnam 2007:

"...Built for a wealthy Chinese merchant in the late 19th century is Diep Dong Nguyen House. The front room on the ground floor was once a dispensary for thuoc bac (Chinese medicine); the medicines were stored in the glass-enclosed cases lining the walls. The owner's private collection of antiques - which include photographs, porcelain and furniture - is on display upstairs. Two of the chairs were once lent by the family to Emperor Bao Dai..."

We had a pleasant chat (in Mandarin) with the current owner whose grandfather was the last person in the family producing Chinese medicines.