Dong Tam Snake Farm: The Story Behind Cobratoxan in Vietnam
Dong Tam Snake Farm began in 1977 as Xí nghiệp 408 and later developed into a Vietnamese centre for snake breeding, research, conservation, public education and medicinal-product activities. Its institutional history also helps explain the “408” name connected with Cobratoxan.
Dong Tam Snake Farm, officially the Centre for Cultivation, Research and Processing of Medicinal Materials.
Dong Tam Snake Farm—Trại Rắn Đồng Tâm—is more than a visitor attraction. Its official website describes the institution as a centre for snake breeding, research, conservation and medicinal-material work. The same official history traces its origins to a small operation established in 1977.
The history is relevant to Cobratoxan because the product is registered with Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408 as its manufacturer, while the Dong Tam organisation itself began under the name Xí nghiệp 408. That shared “408” identity provides a documented institutional connection rather than merely a marketing association.
Why the 408 connection matters
The official Dong Tam history says the original snake-breeding operation was named Xí nghiệp 408. Vinapharm's registration database lists Cobratoxan as manufactured by Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408 at the same historical site area.
What Is Dong Tam Snake Farm?
The official site describes Dong Tam as a major Vietnamese centre for snake breeding, research, conservation and medicinal-material activities.
Snake Breeding
The centre maintains and breeds snakes under controlled institutional care.
Conservation
Conservation and the care of snakes and other wildlife are part of the centre's public role.
Research and Education
The institution presents scientific, educational and safety-related work involving snakes and venomous animals.
Medicinal Materials
Its formal name includes cultivation, research and processing of medicinal materials.
How Dong Tam Snake Farm Began
The institution's own history page gives unusually specific details about its beginnings.
A small beginning on a former military site
The official account says the centre was formed in 1977 on a former military base, following the initiative of Colonel Trần Văn Được.
Xí nghiệp 408
The official history says the first group arrived with just three rắn hổ đất and five staff members, and the operation was named Xí nghiệp 408.
Expansion into medicinal-material research
In 1988, Xí nghiệp 408 was reorganised as the Centre for Cultivation, Research and Processing of Medicinal Materials of the military region.
A multi-purpose centre
The current official website presents snake research, conservation, tourism, education, snakebite treatment and product activities as parts of the institution today.
Why Is the Number 408 Important?
The number 408 is documented in two places that matter for the Cobratoxan story: Dong Tam's official institutional history and Cobratoxan's drug-registration record.
From Xí nghiệp 408 to Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408
Dong Tam's official history identifies the original 1977 operation as Xí nghiệp 408. Vinapharm lists the manufacturer of Cobratoxan as Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408.
This is the clearest documented link between the institution's historical identity and the production name associated with Cobratoxan.
Snake Research, Conservation and Public Education
The current official website presents Dong Tam as a research and conservation centre as well as a tourism destination. Visitor activities include snake displays, a snake museum and demonstrations connected with venom research.
- Snake breeding and specialist animal care
- Wildlife conservation activities
- Scientific and educational work involving snakes
- Public information about venomous animals
- Snakebite treatment services listed by the institution
Dong Tam's public identity combines snake care, conservation, research and education.
Important distinction
Raw snake venom is dangerous and should never be handled outside appropriate professional settings. Cobratoxan is a manufactured topical medicine with a defined registered formulation; it is not the same thing as handling or applying raw venom.
Dong Tam and Medicinal-Product Activities
The institution's official name and history explicitly include the cultivation, research and processing of medicinal materials. That activity became more formal when Xí nghiệp 408 was reorganised in 1988.
Cultivation
Medicinal-material cultivation is part of the centre's formal institutional scope.
Research
The centre's official name explicitly includes research activities.
Processing
Processing of medicinal materials is also included in the institution's formal name.
Finished Products
Cobratoxan is a registered finished topical cream, not uncontrolled raw-venom use.
How Is Dong Tam Snake Farm Connected to Cobratoxan?
The connection can be shown through the institutional history, the manufacturer name and the current official Dong Tam product information.
Dong Tam's official history begins with Xí nghiệp 408.
The operation expands into a medicinal-material research centre.
Vinapharm lists Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408 as Cobratoxan's manufacturer.
Dong Tam's current official website includes a dedicated Cobratoxan product page.
Vinapharm lists each Cobratoxan 20g tube with cobra venom 0.5mg, methyl salicylate 2.824g and peppermint oil 0.588g. The current Dong Tam website also publishes the product's contraindications, storage conditions and overdose guidance.
What Does “Đông dược 408” Mean in This Story?
In the Cobratoxan registration record, Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408 is the listed manufacturer. The “408” matches the number documented in Dong Tam's official account of its original Xí nghiệp 408 identity.
Keep the wording precise
It is safer to describe this as a documented institutional and manufacturing connection than to claim that every part of modern Dong Tam's work directly produces Cobratoxan.
What Is Cobratoxan?
Cobratoxan is a 20g topical cream registered in Vietnam. Vinapharm lists cobra venom 0.5mg, methyl salicylate 2.824g and peppermint oil 0.588g per tube.
The current Dong Tam product page states that the cream is for external use only and gives specific contraindications and storage instructions.
View Cobratoxan ProductWhere Is Dong Tam Snake Farm Today?
The centre's current official website lists its address as Ấp Tân Thuận B, xã Kim Sơn, tỉnh Đồng Tháp. It currently lists opening hours of 7:00 AM–5:00 PM daily.
Older registration records—including Cobratoxan's Vinapharm record—use the former administrative address in Bình Đức, Châu Thành, Tiền Giang. That difference reflects older versus current administrative address information rather than two separate facilities.
Dong Tam Official WebsiteWhat This History Is Based On
Institutional history—including the 1977 founding, Colonel Trần Văn Được, the initial three snakes and five staff, the Xí nghiệp 408 name and the 1988 reorganisation—was checked against Dong Tam Snake Farm's official introduction .
Current visitor address, hours and contact information were checked against the current official Dong Tam website.
Cobratoxan's registered manufacturer and 20g formulation were checked against Vinapharm's drug-registration database .
The current official Dong Tam Cobratoxan page was used to confirm that the institution presently publishes product information for Cobratoxan.
Dong Tam Snake Farm FAQ
01 When was Dong Tam Snake Farm founded?
The official Dong Tam history traces the institution to 1977.
02 What was Xí nghiệp 408?
It was the name given to the original small snake-breeding operation described in Dong Tam's official history.
03 What happened in 1988?
The official history says Xí nghiệp 408 was reorganised as a centre for cultivation, research and processing of medicinal materials.
04 How is Dong Tam connected to Cobratoxan?
The original institution carried the 408 identity, while Vinapharm lists Cơ sở sản xuất đông dược 408 as Cobratoxan's manufacturer. Dong Tam's current official site also publishes a dedicated Cobratoxan product page.
05 Why does the current address say Đồng Tháp instead of Tiền Giang?
The current official site lists Kim Sơn, Đồng Tháp, while older regulatory records use Bình Đức, Châu Thành, Tiền Giang. This article keeps both contexts so readers can distinguish current visitor information from older registration records.
Dong Tam Snake Farm and the Cobratoxan Story
The strongest documented story is straightforward: Dong Tam began in 1977 as Xí nghiệp 408, expanded into medicinal-material research in 1988, and the 408 identity also appears in the registered manufacturing name for Cobratoxan.
That history gives useful context for Cobratoxan without needing to embellish the product with unsupported claims about snake venom, research outcomes or efficacy.
