Eight Vietnamese children with congenital heart defects have been sent to the Republic of Korea (RoK) for free surgery, reported the National Fund for Vietnamese Children on January 12.

These children, born into poor families in Hanoi, HCM City and Dien Bien, Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, and Binh Duong provinces, benefited from the fund's charity programme sponsored by Sunny Korea foundation, a non-governmental organisation specialising in health care and education.

On December 18, four more Vietnamese children will be sent to the RoK for life-saving heart surgery.

From 2002-2006, the Sunny Korea foundation has collaborated with the fund to help 47 Vietnamese children receive free heart surgery in the RoK. In 2006 alone, 106 Vietnamese children benefited from the fund's charity programme.