Heartbeat Vietnam saves 10,000 children with congenital heart defects
A ceremony to celebrate the “Heartbeat Vietnam saving 10,000 children” with congenital heart defects was held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1 by the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF).
A ceremony to celebrate the “Heartbeat Vietnam saving 10,000 children” with congenital heart defects is held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1 by the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF).(Photo: VNA)
Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – A ceremony to celebrate the “Heartbeat Vietnam saving 10,000 children” with congenital heart defects was held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1 by the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF).
After 17 years, the VCF’s flagship programme Heartbeat Vietnam has saved 10,000 disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects (CHD), helping them grow up healthy as well as contributing to realising their dreams.
According to Don Lam, CEO and Founding Partner of VinaCapital, with the support from partners, hospitals, doctors, and donors both home and abroad, the VCF has been making an important contribution to the process of changing and improving quality of life of the most vulnerable community.
He said in the coming time, the VCF will continue to do its utmost to help more children and families access quality medical care, and have a better life.
Since its inception, Heartbeat Vietnam has provided 976 Continuing Care packages to be able to visit the hospital for check-ups and follow-ups, 765 grants for families to have more resources to take care of their children, and 247 scholarships for bright students to maintain their education.
﷽ The programme has also organised 80 – 100 rural outreach clinics a year and has screened over 325,000 rural children and found over 11,000 children with congenital heart defects. More than half of these children need early surgical intervention to survive, all of whom received immediate support./.
Nearly 13,000 children, including infants and students of preschools and primary schools, in the northern province of Vinh Phuc are receiving screenings for early detection of congenital heart diseases from June 2-5.
HeartBeat Vietnam, VinaCapital Foundation (VFC)’s healthcare programme, has funded 8,000 life-saving operations for disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects in Vietnam since the programme was launched in 2006.
More than 3 billion VND (nearly 129,000 USD) has been raised during the eighth Run for the Heart race, an annual event to support disadvantaged children with congenital heart diseases.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A ceremony to celebrate the “Heartbeat Vietnam saving 10,000 children” with congenital heart defects is held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1 by the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF).(Photo: VNA) 
