Vietnam

In 1992, when Professor Fred Hollows, first visited Vietnam, only 50 cataract surgeries were being performed nationally per year by just two Vietnamese eye surgeons. 
 

Later that year, just months before he passed away, Professor Fred Hollows returned to Vietnam with a team of ophthalmologists, supported by the Australian Aid program. 
 

Over the next year, over 300 Vietnamese surgeons on modern cataract surgical techniques. As of 2019, around 250,000 cataract surgeries are performed each year in Vietnam by more than 1,000 surgeons. 
 

That is an amazing achievement for eye health in Vietnam and is a direct result of Professor Fred Hollows’ vision and commitment to equitable eye health for all. 
 

 

The Fred Hollows Foundation will continue to build on these strong partnerships to further strive to achieve quality improvements for cataract and refraction services, trachoma elimination and equitable access to eye health for vulnerable groups including ethnic minorities, remote populations, people living with a disability, women and children.

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS 

Over the last 27 years, The Fred Hollows Foundation has supported the Vietnamese Government in developing a Comprehensive Eye Health model to strengthen eye health services across 20 provinces. 
 

The Foundation has trained eye health workers, provided critical equipment and infrastructure development, and supported the delivery of more than 102,000 cataract surgeries. 
 

Through nearly three decades of supporting the eye health sector in Vietnam, The Fred Hollows Foundation has developed and nurtured close relationships with key partners, including the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam National Eye Hospital, the Ophthalmology Association, key ophthalmic service providers, and international eye health non-governmental organizations. 

Goal 1: Effective cataract treatment is accessible to all in Vietnam

Goal 2: Effective refractive error prevention and treatment is accessible in Vietnam 

Goal 3: Diabetic retinopathy can be prevented and detected early in Vietnam 

Goal 4: Trachoma is eliminated in Vietnam

 

Our history in Vietnam

 

A year before his death, Professor Fred Hollows made a promise that would end up restoring sight to hundreds of thousands of people in Vietnam.

 

When he visited in the early 1990s, he found a team of keen eye surgeons who lacked the skills or equipment to undertake modern cataract surgery. Just months before his death, Fred returned to Vietnam to make good his promise to conduct the first training course for over 300 surgeons.

 

Sadly, Fred died before he could fulfil his other promise of providing surgical equipment and supplies. However, The Foundation fulfilled this on his behalf, and we’ve been working in Vietnam ever since. We have now trained more than 1000 surgeons and contributed to significantly reducing the backlog of people waiting for cataract surgery.

2019 Results
 

Helping people see:

• 258,524 people screened
• 325 eye operations and treatments performed including:
• 212 cataract operations
• 113 other sight saving or improving interventions 128,636 people treated with antibiotics for trachoma 
• 12,472 pairs of glasses distributed

Investing in people:

• 14,650 people trained including:
• 1 surgeon
• 15 clinic support staff
• 800 community health workers
• 13,330 teachers
• 559,518 school children and community members educated in eye health

 

Equipment and Technology:

• 7 medical facilities equipped

CONTACT US

Phone: +84 236 3832999 

Office Address: 130-132 Bach Dang street, Da Nang City