In a quiet corner of Vietnam＊s Mekong Delta, a team of Japanese doctors, dentists and nurses has been carrying out a volunteer mission for 34 years to provide free surgery to people born with cleft lips or palates.
This year, the Japan Cleft Palate Foundation, a Nagoya-based nonprofit organization, dispatched a team of 58 medical professionals from across Japan to rural Vinh Long province, about 90 kilometers south of Ho Chi Minh City, from March 21 to 29.
After navigating through the city＊s traffic and crossing the Mekong River in a three-hour drive, members arrived at Nguyen Dinh Chieu General Hospital, a 1,400-bed facility that serves as the base for the Japanese team＊s annual mission.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.