Initiated by Heartbeat Vietnam and the VinaCapital Foundation’s health care programme, the event has raised more than VND23 billion (US$1 million) over its six previous editions, helping 900 children nationwide to receive free heart surgery.
The event has received enthusiastic participation and support from the community as it attracts around 10,000 -150,000 runners every year, including many celebrities and influencers as well as thousands of students and family members in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the VinaCapital Foundation, approximately 16,000 Vietnamese babies are born with congenital heart defects every year, with 7,500 of them needing medical intervention.
The cost of a heart operation ranges from VND50 million to VND250 million, a huge amount of money for poor families living in remote rural areas whose daily income is only roughly dozens of Vietnamese dongs.
