Eric Fong, Jenny Lai and Danny Lai Traditional Chinese Medicine Kim Lien Ly and Danny Lai arrived in Bankstown from Ho Chin Minh city in 1977 and set up this Chinese herbalist shop in 1985. His family are Chinese Vietnamese and practised traditional medicine in Vietnam and he wanted to continue this tradition in Australia. The shop is calm and peaceful with a rich aroma of herbs and plants: Goji berries, lotus root, ginseng to name a few. There are over 400 different types of raw herbs, herbal granules, tablets and pills; and a colourful selection of beautiful Chinese tea extending from green tea, oolong tea to pearl jasmine. “First thing in the morning when you open the shop the rich smell comes out on the street” Danny’s daughter Jenny also works in the practice. Having grown up in Bankstown with her parents, Jenny was exposed to the rich cultural knowledge of Chinese medicine and she developed a passion for combining Eastern & Western medicine together. She pursued this through studies at university and now is the acupuncturist for the clinic. “I receive so many rewards from my work and my patients by relieving suffering. They walk in with pain and walk out without pain” Danny, Jenny and Eric have witnessed the cultural growth in Bankstown, though even though their shop is in the heart of Saigon Place and thought of as very Asian, Jenny says the “majority of my patients are non Asians, 95% are from everywhere else and in fact they are referring their Asian friends to come and see me!” Eric regularly treats his neighbour Peter from the Olympic Deli and also loves living and working here in Bankstown with a strong community of friends. “It makes me happy to help people, it is an important part of life to be happy.”