What was initially planned as a 3-month journey by Dr. Hattori Tadashi in 2002 eventually extended to over 20 years, taking away much from him but bringing light to over 60,000 people in Vietnam. He didn't take any salary, even using his own pocket money to cover expenses for financially-struggling patients and to support some Vietnamese hospitals with ophthalmic medical equipment.

On August 19, Hue Central Hospital informed that they had sent a delegation to Ha Tinh to train and transfer gastrointestinal laparoscopy and intervention techniques for hospitals in this province.