The third “Light up Vietnam’s smile” programme, which provides free surgeries for people with cleft lip and palate , is open for registration until October 30.

About 80 children with cleft palate in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and surrounding localities are to receive free check-ups and surgeries from now until April 18.

A cleft lip and palate surgery programme kicked off in Dak Lak province on December 18, expected to benefit children with the deformities in seven provinces in the central and Central Highlands regions.

More than 1,500 children in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak received free screening and consultation for congenital heart diseases on April 19-21.

Sixty-two people with cleft palate in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and surrounding localities received free check-ups and surgeries from February 18-28.

As many as 520 wheelchairs worth 1.53 billion VND (67,100 USD) donated by US organisation “Giving it back to kids” were presented to the disabled and orphans in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 12.

All Vietnamese citizens, both at home and overseas, and foreigners living in Vietnam are invited to join a song writing contest for children with heart defects, namely “Viet Tiep Uoc Mo” (Keep writing dreams).

As many as 180 children with different deformities in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien have been receiving free medical checks-up and surgeries under a charity programme from June 18-24.

Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in collaboration with Operation Smile Vietnam launched the eponymous orthopaedic surgery programme on October 18 to help children with congenital hare-lip in the northern region.

More than 200 children with cleft lips and palates in Quang Ngai province and other central localities will benefit from free exams and surgeries provided by Operation Smile from August 17 to 21.