Help for cleft children in Vietnam

Far-reaching support thanks to a strong network

The groundwork for our first project in Vietnam was laid in 2006. After the initial build-up years, we have worked since 2009 in northern Vietnam with the aid organization Center for Researching and Aiding Smile Operation (OSCA), led by surgeon Dr. Ai in Hanoi. Well connected, Dr. Ai especially advocates for children from the roughly 50 ethnic minorities living in Vietnam. Many reside in the mountainous border regions with Laos and China, where they are cut off from medical care.

Thanks to our cooperation with the Taiwanese aid organization Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation (NCF), we were able to expand our work in 2016 with a project in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in southern Vietnam. After several successful years of collaboration, we launched another joint project in summer 2019: our second project in Hanoi at the National Children’s Hospital. We ended support for the Ho Chi Minh City project in 2022.

International expertise at the highest level

Our partnership with NCF is grounded in the understanding that a comprehensive—and above all long-term—treatment concept is crucial for sustainable therapeutic success. The Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, closely affiliated with NCF, is considered a global leader in cleft care. At the National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi, children benefit from holistic, interdisciplinary treatment. Services include NAM as a preoperative measure, ENT care, speech therapy, and psychosocial support for parents. The joint project in Hanoi is led by internationally renowned Taiwanese oral and maxillofacial surgeon Prof. Lun-Jou Lo. The cooperation with NCF was initiated by plastic and aesthetic surgeon PD Dr. Daniel Lonic from Munich, who completed a fellowship at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 2014 to 2016 and was trained in cleft surgery by Prof. Lo.