Operation Smile Vietnam

What Operation Smile Vietnam does

Operation Smile Vietnam is a non-profit medical charity that delivers free reconstructive cleft lip and cleft palate surgery to children and adults in Vietnam, alongside post-operative care, speech pathology, and patient advocacy. Founded in 1989, it operates as the Vietnamese representative office (VPDDTC To chuc Operation Smile Inc. tai Viet Nam, Vietnamese name: Tổ Chức Phẫu Thuật Nụ Cười) of Operation Smile Inc., a US-based 501(c)(3) founded in 1982. The organization runs four programmatic pillars — cleft surgery, patient-centered care delivered through year-round treatment centers and episodic medical missions at partner hospitals (E Hospital Hanoi, Hue Odontal Stomatological Hospital, Quang Ngai Obstetrics and Children's Hospital, Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital), patient advocacy and research, and a training program for local surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and dentists. It maintains a small staff (11–50 employees) across offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and mobilizes a global pool of more than 6,000 credentialed medical volunteers from over 60 countries.

Operation Smile Vietnam does not disclose a proprietary technology platform; its operations rest on volunteer coordination, hospital partnerships, and standardized credentialing and surgical-safety protocols accumulated over 35 years. Cumulative impact in Vietnam includes more than 75,000 patients treated across 550+ medical and dental programs and nearly 900,000 volunteer hours donated, valued at approximately USD $70.2 million. More than 90% of surgeries performed in Vietnam are carried out by locally trained medical professionals, indicating a capacity-building trajectory rather than perpetual foreign-volunteer dependence.

The revenue model is donation-funded: monetary contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations via bank transfers (Sacombank, Vietcombank, VIB, Viet Capital Bank), a secure online donation portal (secure.operationsmile.org), and the MoMo mobile-payment app, supplemented by in-kind contributions of medical supplies and consumer goods. Named strategic partners include SIKA Vietnam (nearly USD $1 million over 10 consecutive years), Marriott International (since 2017, spanning 19 hotels in Vietnam), AVAKids (2022 Smile Fund commitment of 550 children), MoMo, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, FPT, Vinschool Gardenia, and Rua Runners. All medical services are provided free of charge to patients; the organization charges no beneficiaries and has no commercial pricing model.

Name

Operation Smile Vietnam

Legal name

VPDDTC TO CHUC OPERATION SMILE INC TAI VIET NAM

Website

https://operationsmile.org.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Operation Smile Vietnam is a non-profit medical charity, founded in 1989, that provides free cleft lip and palate reconstructive surgery, post-operative care, and training to local medical professionals in Vietnam, funded entirely by donations and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reconstructive Surgery Services

NAICS

Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical and Emergency Centers (621493), Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners (621399), Offices of Other Health Practitioners (6213)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Cleft Lip/Palate & Craniofacial Surgery (HLABAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ENT) (HLAKAMAG), Office-Based Surgery (OBS) / In-Office Procedure Suites (HLAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Cleft palate surgery
• Reconstructive surgery services
• Medical volunteer missions
• Nonprofit pediatric healthcare
• Surgical training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ha Noi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Operation Smile Vietnam is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds its operations entirely through donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Revenue comes from monetary donations (via bank transfers, online portals, and payment apps like MoMo), in-kind contributions (medical supplies, equipment, daily essential items), and sponsorship of medical missions and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Operation Smile Vietnam provides free reconstructive cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to children and adults in Vietnam who cannot afford treatment, delivered through medical mission programs at partner hospitals and year-round treatment centers. Each surgery takes approximately 45 minutes, and patients also receive post-operative care, ongoing medical therapies, and speech pathology services. The organization complements direct surgical care with a Training Program that credentials local surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and dentists, and with Patient Advocacy initiatives aimed at improving safety standards and access to cleft care.

Product overview

Operation Smile Vietnam is a nonprofit international medical charity that provides free reconstructive cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children in Vietnam. The organization operates through four core program areas: Cleft Surgery (providing free surgical procedures), Patient-centered Care (delivering comprehensive medical treatment and ongoing therapies through year-round treatment centers), Patient Advocacy (advocating for patients, conducting research, and working toward eradicating cleft defects), and a Training Program (developing local medical self-sufficiency by training Vietnamese surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and health professionals). Since 1989, Operation Smile Vietnam has provided over 66,000 free surgical procedures through a network of more than 6,000 medical volunteers from over 60 countries. The organization also facilitates donations through its website and coordinates volunteer participation in medical missions. The organization does not operate as a technology platform or software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleft Surgery Program Free reconstructive cleft lip and cleft palate surgery (approximately 45 minutes per procedure) provided to children and adults in Vietnam who cannot afford private surgical care, delivered through medical mission programs at partner hospitals and year-round treatment centers.
• Patient-Centered Care Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75,000 patients treated in Vietnam since 1989
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• AVAKidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022AVAKids launched the 'AVAKids Smile Fund' campaign in 2022 with a commitment to bring smiles to 550 children born with cleft lip and palate in Vietnam. The campaign has organized medical missions in Hanoi, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Gia Lai, and Ho Chi Minh City, and spreads positive spirit to hundreds of thousands of customers through communication and fundraising activities.
• Marriott InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Marriott International has been a strategic sponsor of Operation Smile since 2017, operating 19 hotels and resorts in Vietnam. Hotels engage through the annual Road to Give event, sponsor in-kind gifts for patients, enable staff volunteering, and host Operation Smile's education, training, and annual conference activities.
• SIKA VietnamflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIKA Vietnam has been a strategic partner of Operation Smile Vietnam for 10 consecutive years, donating nearly $1 million USD to support humanitarian medical missions. SIKA staff have also participated as non-medical volunteers in surgical programs. Their exemplary partnership has extended to Thailand and the Philippines, multiplying the impact across the region.
• MoMo (Ví Momo)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMoMo serves as a digital donation bridge enabling millions of users to make charitable contributions through the Piggy Bank feature. Users earn 'Golden Pigs' (by completing daily tasks such as walking 4,000 steps, waking up early, answering knowledge questions) that can be donated to charitable causes including Operation Smile. Golden Pigs are redeemed into real money for Operation Smile's programs.
• Johnson & JohnsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJohnson & Johnson has provided in-kind donations of medical products and services to Operation Smile over the years as part of the organization's gift-in-kind sponsorship program.
• UnileverminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnilever has partnered with Operation Smile through gift-in-kind donations of consumer products (shampoo, toothpaste, body wash, soap, towels, etc.) that support daily operations of medical missions and volunteer/patient welfare.
• FPTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFPT staff identified the case of infant Nguyen Trieu Hai Bang and connected the child and her Buddhist caregiver with Operation Smile Vietnam's surgical mission in Ho Chi Minh City, enabling her to receive free cleft lip surgery.
• Vinschool GardeniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVinschool Gardenia co-sponsored a medical mission at E Hospital in Hanoi through sports-based fundraising activities, supporting free surgeries for disadvantaged children.
• Rua Runners (Rùa Runners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInitiator of the 'Run for Love' event, Rua Runners co-sponsored a medical mission at E Hospital in Hanoi through sports fundraising, supporting free surgeries for patients including Vi Van Tan.
• Marriott Worldwide Business Councils in Vietnam & CambodiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarriott's regional business councils have supported Operation Smile through in-kind contributions and volunteer engagement across Vietnam and Cambodia.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Smile for a Child: Nonprofit focused on cleft and craniofacial surgery for under-served children internationally. Direct niche overlap with Operation Smile Vietnam's patient population and free-surgery delivery model.
• Mending Faces: Small nonprofit organizing surgical teams to provide free cleft lip and palate repairs in underserved countries. Closely comparable volunteer-mission operating model at smaller scale.
• Facing Forward: Nonprofit providing free reconstructive surgery and related services for children with cleft and craniofacial conditions. Niche-overlapping peer with a similar volunteer-driven surgical mission approach.

Direct peers

• Smile Train: Largest cleft-focused nonprofit globally, funding local partner surgeons in developing countries to provide free cleft surgery. Directly competes for the same donor audience, mission narrative, and surgical capacity-building model.
• ReSurge International: Volunteer-driven nonprofit providing reconstructive surgery and training in developing countries. Comparable mission-driven, surgeon-led model with similar capacity-building and global volunteer network characteristics.
• Operation Smile: The global US-based parent organization running the worldwide volunteer medical mission model for cleft lip and palate surgery. Directly comparable as the same operating model, network, and brand that Operation Smile Vietnam executes locally.

Others

• VinaCapital Foundation: Vietnam-based nonprofit running health, education, and capacity-building programs including mobile outreach clinics. Comparable as a Vietnam-domestic, donor-funded health nonprofit, though broader in scope than surgery-only.

Broad incumbents

• Partners In Health: Major global health nonprofit combining clinical care, training, and advocacy in resource-poor settings. Comparable in operating model (donor-funded, training-embedded, partner-hospital driven), though broader in disease scope.
• Project HOPE: Large international health-focused NGO with humanitarian medical programs across multiple countries. Comparable as a globally funded nonprofit delivering volunteer medical care, though broader in scope than cleft-only.

Regional players

• Children's Surgical Centre: Vietnam-based nonprofit surgical center in Ho Chi Minh City providing free reconstructive surgery including cleft care. Direct regional peer with overlapping patient population and similar free-care delivery model in Vietnam.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/operationsmilevietnam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operation-smile-vietnam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operation Smile Vietnam