The organizers gave congratulatory gifts to Le Thanh Danh - the 9,000th case of heart surgery. (Photo: Hung Khoa)

The event was jointly held by VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) to mark the 9,000 child patients receiving free surgery.

Launched in 2006, the Vietnam Heartbeat Programme and VCF have strived to save the lives of unlucky children by improving access to medical care, helping them receive timely surgery, and providing financial support to their families.

In addition to conducting 80 to 100 congenital heart screenings each year, it has also sponsored supporting packages for post-surgery care and scholarships for children to continue going to school.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, about 15,000 children were born with congenital heart diseases each year in Viet Nam.