Highly popular in Vietnam, Dr Alexandre Yersin (1863–1943) founded Nha Trang’s Pasteur Institute in 1895. He learned to speak Vietnamese fluently, introduced rubber and quinine-producing trees to Vietnam, and discovered the rat-borne microbe that causes bubonic plague.
You can see Yersin’s library and office at this small, interesting museum; displays include laboratory equipment (such as astronomical instruments) and a fascinating 3-D photo viewer.
Tours are conducted in French, English and Vietnamese, and a short film on Yersin’s life is shown.
Yersin travelled throughout the central highlands and recorded his observations. During this period he came upon the site of what is now Dalat and recommended that a hill station be established there.
Today, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang coordinates vaccination and hygiene programs for the country’s southern coastal region. The institute produces vaccines and carries out medical research and testing to European standards. Physicians at the clinic here offer medical advice to around 70 patients a day.
