Vietnamese surgeons from the National Paediatric Hospital (NPH) have conducted free surgery on 17 children in Laos, who suffered from complicated congenital defects.

The operations were performed at Mahosot Hospital and the Vientiane Hospital for Mothers and Children.

According to NPH director Nguyen Thanh Liem, keyhole surgery was successfully performed on three patients with large intestinal aneurisms, including a 42-day-old baby.

The operations were part of the Vietnamese hospital's technical assistance programme for Laos, which concluded on February 27.