The announcement was made in Hanoi on January 19 at a ceremony to review the first phase of the "Heart-to-Heart" programme, carried out between 2003-2006 with US$250,000 funding from Samsung Vina.

During this period, 32 Vietnamese children, born into poor families with congenital heart defects, gained a second chance for life thanks to the programme. Nine other children were sent to the Republic of Korea (RoK) for free heart surgery.

Under the programme, 30 Vietnamese surgeons from the National Hospital of Paediatrics were sent to the Samsung Medical Clinic in Seoul, the RoK, for heart surgery techniques transfer. The hospital was also equipped with modern medical facilities worth US$43,000.

Also on January 19, Samsung Vina handed over a US$37,000 ambulance to the hospital