Khanh Hoa in particular and Vietnam in general have many sites associated with A. Yersin's career, among which Khanh Hoa possesses a complex of relics that has been recognized as a national heritage site, including:
1. The A. Yersin Library, located within the grounds of the Pasteur Institute at No. 8 Tran Phu Street, Nha Trang Ward.
2. Linh Son Pagoda, situated southwest of Co Mountain, along National Highway 1A, in Khanh Thanh Village, Suoi Dau Commune.
3. A. Yersin's Grave, located within the premises of the Suoi Dau Experimental Livestock Farm, belonging to the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute in Suoi Dau Commune.
4. A. Yersin's Office at Hon Ba, Suoi Dau Commune.
I/ Life and Career of A. Yersin
At the age of 20, A. Yersin studied medicine in Lausanne, Switzerland. He moved to France to fulfill his dream of completing his university education. In Paris, he applied for a position as a pathological anatomy technician at the Hotel Dieu hospital. There, he had the good fortune to meet the renowned scientist Louis Pasteur. Admiring Pasteur's talent, Yersin asked to work as a technician in Pasteur's microbiology laboratory on Ulm Street in Paris in 1886. Assigned to assist Dr. Roux, a capable associate of Pasteur, he worked as both a technician and a research scientist. “Study on the Development of Experimental Tuberculosis”. This also served as his medical school graduation thesis. In 1888, he earned his medical degree and acquired French citizenship, becoming a French citizen.
During his time in France, he and Dr. Roux researched the diphtheria bacterium toxin, which was the first study on bacterial toxins, laying the foundation for future researchers. In 1898, the Pasteur Institute in Paris was established. This was a place Yersin secretly longed to work, but at the same time, he began contemplating the mysteries hidden within the tropical forests of the Far East and quietly made plans to explore them.
In September 1890, he left for the Far East to the astonishment of his professors, friends, and colleagues at the Pasteur Institute in Paris; no one could understand his reason for leaving Paris. Working as a contract ship's doctor, he was assigned to the ship Aridan, traveling from Cochinchina to the Philippines from October 1890 to April 1891. Afterward, he transferred to a ship running the Saigon – Hai Phong route. In June and July 1891, during a trip passing by Nha Trang, he went ashore to sightsee, and Nha Trang left a deep impression on him.
To fulfill his dream of exploring tropical forests, between 1892 and 1894, A. Yersin conducted investigations into the land, people, customs, and resources of the central coast of Vietnam and the Mekong River.
On March 29, 1892, he set out on his first expedition to explore the area between the East Sea and the Mekong River in Central Vietnam. After the success of the first expedition, Governor-General Lanesan tasked him with researching plans to build roads from Saigon to areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, and to study resources, livestock potential, forest products, and minerals. In 1893, he conducted his third expedition along the Truong Son range, traveling from Bien Hoa through Da Lat to Dak Lak.
In May 1894, a major plague outbreak occurred in Hong Kong, and A. Yersin traveled there to study its cause. After 3 weeks, he discovered the plague bacterium, which was named after him: Yersinia pestis.
In 1895, he established a laboratory in Nha Trang, now the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang. This was the second laboratory in Vietnam, following the Pasteur Institute in Saigon established by Albert Calmette in 1890. Subsequently, to facilitate the production of serum using horses, A. Yersin founded a horse farm in Dien Khanh prefecture, the capital of Khanh Hoa province (10km from Nha Trang). In 1896, he established the experimental farm at Suoi Dau. This was the site for producing serum and vaccines, and the serum he manufactured was sent to China and India to treat the plague, saving tens of thousands of lives.
Shortly thereafter, the Pasteur Institute in Paris began mass-producing serum, so he stopped production at Suoi Dau and shifted his focus to researching livestock diseases. From 1899 onwards, his laboratory in Nha Trang became famous as a center for researching livestock diseases and training veterinary staff for all of Indochina.
In 1902, he was tasked with researching the establishment of the Hanoi Medical College, for which he served as the Dean, now known as Hanoi Medical University. In 1904, he returned to Nha Trang and proposed that the French government upgrade the laboratories in Saigon and Nha Trang into the Indochina Pasteur Institute. This was the first overseas branch of the Pasteur Institute in Paris. A. Yersin was appointed as Director. Later, he established additional branches: the Hanoi Pasteur Institute in 1920 and the Da Lat Pasteur Institute in 1936.
In 1914, he expanded the experimental livestock farm in Suoi Dau and began surveying Hon Ba, introducing several industrial crops for trial planting, achieving success with Cinchona and rubber trees—a plant of significant strategic importance to industry.
In 1920, he resigned as Director to serve solely as the Inspector General of Pasteur Institutes throughout Indochina, dedicating his time to experimental planting of tropical crops in the Suoi Dau, Hon Ba, Nha Trang, Don Duong, and Di Linh regions, such as coffee, tobacco, cocoa, palm oil, coconut, areca nut, and rubber. In addition to these tasks, A. Yersin also measured the sea level of Nha Trang, pursued an interest in astronomical observation, and researched and practiced radio technology.
A. Yersin lived in close proximity to the people of Xom Con, Nha Trang, and was affectionately called "Uncle Tu" or "Uncle Nam" by them. He used his self-made projector to show movies to the people of Xom Con right in his hallway and provided them with medicine to treat illnesses. He was particularly attentive to children; they often came to his house daily to play, read books, and look at pictures in his library.
At the age of 77, noticing his declining health, he returned to France one last time to bid farewell to his friends and visit France and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. From 1941 to 1942, his health gradually weakened, and he left a final wish to be buried in Suoi Dau in a simple manner, a tranquil place near Nha Trang that was deeply tied to his life's work.
On the morning of March 1, 1943, A. Yersin drew his final breath amidst the sincere affection of the fishermen of Xom Con and the people of Nha Trang. Upon his passing, the fishermen of Xom Con went into mourning, and many ethnic minority people also came to pay their respects and escort him to his final resting place. They wore mourning headbands as if a member of their own family had passed away.
After 57 years of scientific activity (1886 – 1943), Yersin contributed many valuable research works to humanity. He bequeathed all his remaining assets to the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute and to some of his assistants. His personal memorabilia have been carefully preserved. Today, many cities have named streets after him, such as Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Lat, and Ho Chi Minh City, which are places typically linked to his career.
II/ The A. Yersin Relic Complex
* The Library A. Yersin
The A. Yersin Library has now become the Yersin Exhibition House of the Nha Trang Pasteur Institute (referred to by the Institute as the Yersin Museum). The room is arranged as a memorial gallery, preserving many artifacts, scientific documents, machinery, equipment, research works, and books belonging to A. Yersin from France and his 50 years of living and working in Nha Trang. In addition, the exhibition room simulates Yersin's reading and resting area, including his bookcase, typewriter desk, bed, rattan lounge chair, and cabinets for personal items.
The house preserves memorabilia, scientific documents, machinery, equipment, research works, and books belonging to A. Yersin.
* Linh Son Pagoda
Linh Son Pagoda was originally A. Yersin's office and resting place in Suoi Dau. After his death, the place was under the management of the Suoi Dau Rubber Company. In 1958, the Buddhist Sangha of Khanh Hoa Province requested to use it as a reception area, and it subsequently became a pagoda.
In 2017, the pagoda inaugurated the Main Hall next to A. Yersin's office. Linh Son Pagoda faces southwest; while its architectural scale is not large, it still provides Buddhists and visitors with a sense of gentleness and tranquility. The relic site includes the following structures: the A. Yersin memorial house, the main hall, the bell tower, the guest house, the Guanyin platform, the Tieu Dien shrine, the kitchen area, and auxiliary facilities.
* A. Yersin's Grave
This is the final resting place of A. Yersin, reflecting the reverence and gratitude of the people of Khanh Hoa toward the brilliant scientist and honoring his final wishes before he departed this life.
Initially, the grave was built in the shape of a coffin with a cross placed on top. However, over time and due to war, the grave was damaged. After 1975, the people of Khanh Hoa rebuilt the grave to its current state. The tomb is designed in a rectangular shape, forming a solid mass not too high above the ground. The grave site features an ancient frangipani tree planted shortly after his death.
To the left of the grave, there is a small Thu Ky (also known as a shrine), designed in the style of the One Pillar Pagoda. The shrine is made of concrete. Around the hill, there are still some palm trees, which, according to local residents, were trees planted experimentally by the scientist A. Yersin between 1916 and 1918.
* A. Yersin's Office
1. On September 28, 1990, the historical site memorializing the scientist Alexandre Yersin was ranked as a national monument under Decision No. 993/QD-BVHTT, including: the Pasteur Institute Library in Nha Trang city, Linh Son Pagoda, and Yersin's Grave in Suoi Cat commune, Cam Lam district.
2. On March 20, 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 699/QD-BVHTTDL adding the site of the Office of the scientist Alexandre Yersin at Hon Ba, Suoi Cat commune, Cam Lam district, to the historical site memorializing the scientist Alexandre Yersin.
Source: https://disanvanhoa.khanhhoa.vn/
