August 16-22, 2026, Operation International’s Cleft Repair Team will return to Hue, Vietnam for our fourth surgery mission in the region. Our team will be serving poor patients in the central and highland regions around Hue. We hope to provide life changing cleft lip and palate repairs for patients who would otherwise have no access to these surgical services.
Untreated cleft lip and palate leads to lifelong feeding and speech difficulties, recurrent infections, social isolation, and reduced economic opportunities. Our team plans to provide cleft lip and palate repair to 50 patients from Hue and surrounding provinces. In most setting, these surgeries are performed within the first year of life; however, in Hue, many patients live with these conditions well into adulthood due to lack of access to care.
The mission will have immediate, life changing impact by providing cleft lip and palate repair to 50 patients who otherwise would not have access to care, helping improve feeding, speech, overall health, and social integration. Beyond the surgeries, our team will work closely with local surgeons, anesthetists and nurses to share practical skills so care can continue after we leave.
Reflecting on our medical mission with the Operation International Cleft Team at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Huế, Vietnam, from August 14–24, 2026, it is difficult to capture everything we experienced and accomplished.
Over the course of the mission, our team evaluated 52 patients and provided surgical care to 45 patients while navigating language barriers, limited resources, complex travel logistics, and the inevitable challenges of an international surgical mission.
Together, we completed:
• 67 surgeries, including one highly complex Tessier 4 facial cleft repair and five groundbreaking orthognathic surgeries
• More than 150 dental procedures
• AHA BLS training and certification for 100 hospital physicians and staff
• The donation of approximately $15,000 in medical equipment and surgical instruments
I had the honor of leading the Nursing Practice Education Project. I shared my knowledge and experience in patient triage and emergency care and led certified American Heart Association BLS training for 100 physicians, nurses, and hospital staff. Education is one of the most sustainable gifts we can offer—because the knowledge shared during this mission will continue to strengthen patient care long after our team has returned home.
Beyond the procedures and numbers, this mission was about people. We repaired clefts, performed complex reconstructive and orthognathic procedures, taught local physicians, nurses, and dental students, and learned from one another. We shared skills, experiences, compassion, and memories that will remain long after our plane leaves Vietnam.
As we close this chapter, we leave with tired bodies, full hearts, and a deep sense of gratitude. The operating rooms may be quiet again, but the impact of this mission—and the memories we created together—will continue for years to come.
