Japanese Medical Team Transforms Lives in Rural Vietnam with Free Surgeries
July 8, 2026
A dedicated group of volunteer medical professionals from Japan has been traveling to rural Vietnam for over 30 years, aiming to provide children and adults with cleft lip and palate surgeries at no cost. Their commitment offers a healthier and happier future for many, free of charge.
Nagato Natsume examines a child at Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital / Credit: CHUNICHI SHIMBUN / Japan Times
Initially conceived as a single humanitarian mission, the effort has evolved into an annual tradition, facilitated by the Japan Cleft Palate Foundation since 1993. Each year, the foundation’s team returns to Vietnam, offering surgeries to families who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
This spring, Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital in Vinh Long Province hosted 58 volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses, and medical staff from Japan. Located roughly 90 kilometers south of Ho Chi Minh City, the team conducted patient evaluations and surgeries over nine days, aiming to restore smiles, confidence, and opportunities.
Professor Nagato Natsume, the executive director of the foundation, has developed a personal connection to the mission.
“This is my second hometown,” he told The Japan Times. “Every time I come here, I feel like I’ve come home.”
In the past 34 years, Japanese surgeons have completed over 3,000 cleft surgeries in Vietnam. Their annual visits are eagerly awaited by families throughout the region.
The first consultation day saw nearly 50 families gathered in a makeshift clinic in the hospital hallway, hoping their children would be chosen for surgery.
This year’s mission included a heartfelt story of a three-month-old baby boy that deeply moved the medical team.
His mother, Le Thibe Trang, discovered during pregnancy that her son would have a cleft lip and palate. Despite family pressure to end the pregnancy, she chose to continue.
“I wanted to give birth no matter what,” she expressed through tears. “I was worried because we couldn’t afford the treatment. I’m deeply thankful that these Japanese doctors came and performed surgery free of charge.”
As the mission concluded successfully, Natsume reflected on the motivation behind their decades-long work.
“We want to provide support so that more children can grow up feeling glad they were born.”
This simple yet profound objective has already altered thousands of lives, one smile at a time.
