Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân speaks with leaders of the Children's Hospital No. 1 in Hồ Chí Minh City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân visited young patients suffering from serious illnesses at Children's Hospital No. 1 in HCM City on the afternoon of May 22, ahead of Children's Day on June 1, 2026.

The Vice President and her delegation presented support totalling VNĐ600 million (US$23,100) to 300 children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are being treated at the hospital for cancer and other life-threatening conditions.

Her words of encouragement brought smiles to many of the children, despite their weakened condition. Relatives of the patients expressed deep gratitude to the Party and State leaders, the Ministry of Health, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, and other organisations whose support had given families the strength to accompany their children through treatment.

The visit formed part of the Month of Action for Children 2026, aimed at boosting the morale of young patients and their families, and at encouraging society as a whole to care for and protect children.

Addressing medical staff at the hospital, Vice President Xuân said children were a group requiring particular care, especially those with serious or complex conditions. She noted that with the country's birth rate having fallen below replacement level, the healthcare and treatment of children would have a significant bearing on the quality of the future workforce.

She called on doctors at Children's Hospital No. 1 to build on their standing as the leading paediatric hospital in the southern region by adopting an ever-wider range of advanced technologies, so that young patients experience less pain and fatigue, fewer after-effects, and lower costs.

Dr Ngô Ngọc Quang Minh, Director of Children's Hospital No. 1, said after 70 years of establishment and development, the hospital now has a full range of specialist departments covering all childhood conditions. Its specialist strengths include cardiology, paediatric emergency care, neonatology, tropical diseases and paediatric surgery.

Minh said the hospital has particular capabilities in cardiology and is now able to intervene in all complex cardiovascular conditions in children, including in newborns and foetuses. To date, Children's Hospital No. 1 has worked with Từ Dũ Hospital to carry out 14 foetal cardiac interventions, a milestone the hospital regards as bringing it to the level of world standards.

The hospital said it will continue to develop advanced paediatric techniques in step with global progress, with the aim of becoming a leading specialised medical facility in Southeast Asia. — VNS