Heartbeat Vietnam Saves 11K Children with Congenital Heart Defects
Doan Ngoc Anh Thu, a 12-year-old girl from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, has become the 11,000th child saved by the Heartbeat Vietnam program, which has provided critical care for children born with heart conditions for 18 years, local media reported.
Diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot, a complex congenital heart defect, when she was just one month old, Thu experienced cyanosis and frequent fevers. She underwent her first surgery at age two, thanks to the Heartbeat Vietnam program supported by the VinaCapital Foundation (VCF), significantly improving her health and allowing her to attend and excel in school over the past six years.
CEO and Founding Partner of VinaCapital and Chair of the VCF Board Don Lam expressed immense joy at the program’s success, while highlighting the collective efforts of local authorities, medical teams, and generous donors in giving hope to these children and their families.
The Ministry of Health said that approximately 15,000 infants are born with CHD in Vietnam each year, many from impoverished rural areas. These children often face significant financial and logistical challenges in accessing treatment.
Since 2006, Heartbeat Vietnam has sponsored life-saving surgeries for underprivileged children, provided 1,215 continuing care packages, 809 family grants, and 263 scholarships to support their education. The VCF has also organized rural outreach clinics, screening nearly 400,000 children and identifying over 11,700 with CHD