VietNamNet Bridge – The Dong Tam snake farm is not only the place where breeds and conserves rare snake species in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world, but also a “hospital” that has rescued thousands of patients who were bitten by venomous snakes in the Mekong Delta and the southern provinces.

Vipers wrap into one another on the tree. 

About 10km to the west of My Tho City is, the Center for Aquaculture, Pharmaceutical Research and Processing of the 9th Military Region, also known as the Dong Tam snake farm (Binh Duc Commune, Chau Thanh District, Tien Giang Province) is the largest snake farm in Vietnam where conserves the snake species in danger of extinction in Vietnam.
 
Dong Tam Snake Farm has more than 40 species of snakes with thousands of individual snakes, from copperheads weighing more than 10 kg to little vipers, from extremely toxic snakes to the harmless snake species. Of that, about 5000 individual are rare snakes.

According to Lieutenant Colonel, Vu Ngoc Luong, deputy director of the snake farm, this farm was established in 1977 by the Ministry Defense.

Dong Tam Snake Farm is not only the center to preserve and study snakes and gives treatment to patients of snakebite but it is also the unique tourist attraction in Tien Giang.

Lieutenant Colonel Vu Ngoc Luong checks a cage of cobras.

The farm has a snake museum where stores the specimens of most snake species living in Vietnam.

The Dong Tam Snake Farm is also a medical center treating victims of snakes. Each year, the center treats around 1,000 patients, mostly people in the Mekong Delta provinces. Most of the patients who were bitten by poisonous snakes were rescued if the heart still beat.

According to Lieutenant Colone Vu Ngoc Luong, the victims are mainly poor people so they are exempted from hospital fee.

In 1998, the Dong Tam snake farm was awarded the title of Labor Hero.

On 14.08.2005, the Vietnam Record Book Center recognized the Dong Tam Snake Museum as the first snake museum in Vietnam.

Nam Nguyen