Byungwook Choi

Korean Ginseng (nhân sâm Cao Ly) in Vietnam during the First Half of the 19th century

As is already widely known among Vietnamese, Minh Mạng (1820-1841) was very energetic in controlling women in regard to making babies. In his fifty years of life, he had 142 children with a fair gender-balance-78 sons and 64 daughters, and Minh Mạng’s energy has been attributed to his appetite for ginseng, specifically Korean ginseng. His rule in various fields could be interpreted in the same context. He was quite active in administering his empire implementing new policies. He was in a relatively healthy condition to do so, with the help of ginseng, and he also appears to have utilized the ginseng in dealing with his subjects, most of whom regarded the ginseng as a