Overview
Founded in 2006, Heartbeat Vietnam funds life-saving heart operations for financially disadvantaged children with congenital heart defects (CHD) in Vietnam.The program also provides the cost of pre-treatment and post-operative care for the heart children, including nutrition support, travel fees, health check-ups as well as scholarships so they can remain in school.
Congenital heart defects are the most common congenital disorder in newborns. Around 8-10 children out of 1000 live births are born with CHDs per year. Approximately, 16,000 children are born every year in Vietnam with CHDs and only half require treatments in cardiovascular hospitals. 25% of babies born with a complex CHD will not see their 1st birthday without corrective surgery.
Without prompt surgery or intervention, these children will suffer from poor quality of life and inadequate mental and physical development. Many children are never diagnosed and many will die waiting for help. Without treatment, 85% will perish before their 18th birthday.
Chronic diseases don’t observe the boundaries of geography or economics, but the treatments often do. In Vietnam, where many families earn only a few dollars per day, specialized pediatric health care is beyond their grasp. Many children with CHD are from families with low or unstable incomes in disadvantaged areas with little access to quality healthcare. It is important to support the child so that insurmountable financial and emotional burdens can be lifted off the entire household. Once the child is well; their caregivers, mostly mothers and sisters, can get an education and find jobs, and the family can become economically independent to thrive towards a better future.
With matching funds from provincial government organizations and insurance coverage, the cost for a donor to cover a child’s heart surgery through Heartbeat Vietnam is just 1,200 USD, one-third of the average total cost of the operation, 3,600 USD.

Our Achievements since inception
From Inception until now, Heartbeat Vietnam has provided:
- 10000 Children with congenital heart defects
- 976 Continuing Care
- 765 Family Grants
- 247 Scholarships

How does the program operate?
FOR BENEFICIARIES:
To apply for surgery sponsorship from Heartbeat Vietnam, please fill in the form here and send it to the Social Work Department in the hospital your child is treating. Or send us via post office to VinaCapital Foundation office – 14E21 Thao Dien, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh city.
After receiving the application, Heartbeat Vietnam reviews eligibility and then contacts the family to proceed to the next steps.
FOR DONORS:
When receiving donations, Heartbeat Vietnam will confirm the contribution and issue a Receipt / Thank you letter to acknowledge the donor’s support via email/post office.
If the donor’s contribution is sufficient to save 1 child and more, Heartbeat Vietnam will assign each young beneficiary to a specific donor and provide the donor the biographical information including photos and detailed family history, diagnosis and total estimated cost. HBVN shall arrange hospital visits with donors if requested.
Mai Hoa and her family’s transformation
After the COVID situation eased off, contributions from Heartbeat Vietnam’s benevolent donors provided Mai Hoa with the operation she desperately needed. Half a year after the open-heart surgery, this precious little girl is on a complete recovery post-operation with encouraging regular checkups.
The baby with a bilateral cleft lip and a series of complex congenital heart defects in Tien Giang
Stories From The Brave Little Hearts – Trieu Huy – 3 Year Old Boy With 2 deep Surgical Scars and His Brave Fisherman Father
Stories From the Brave Little Hearts – Bich Quynh, a Couragous Girl With Her Heart On The Right Side
Every contribution, no matter big or small, plays a crucial part in saving the lives of children with congenital heart defects, empowering their mothers and improving their family's future.
150 - 300 USD
You can provide a Family Grant to cover nutrition, travel, and medical costs associated with their child’s heart operation.
65 - 390 USD
You can provide a Continuing Care grant to cover medicine and nutrition or cover a partial school fee for a heart child after surgery.
150 - 250 USD
You can provide a Scholarship so a heart child can continue going to school.
