SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam Denies Organ Donation Rumors Amid Management Transfer

False social media claims linking the transfer of eight SOS Children’s Villages in Vietnam to child organ harvesting and tissue donation have been explicitly denied by national officials.

Speculation circulating online alleged that the administrative handover of facilities was connected to the collection and transplantation of human body parts, Báo Lao Động reported.

Le Minh Giang, national director of the Vietnam SOS Children’s Village office, confirmed that these assertions are completely groundless and false. The complete transfer files and handover documents contain zero references to human tissue or organ donation, extraction, or transplantation, according to Giang.

The administrative restructuring stems from a 2024 proposal by SOS International to adjust management structures and secure operational resources. Out of 17 total facilities, eight villages and their associated educational institutions are being transferred to local government management. The Vietnam SOS Children’s Village office itself shifted to Ministry of Health oversight on March 1, 2025, while the remaining eight locations transitioned to local authorities under Decision 735/QD-TTg issued on April 24, 2026.

Following nearly four decades of partnership, SOS International began reducing and adjusting its aid funding to prioritize regions with more urgent needs starting in 2023. By that time, international aid accounted for roughly 30% of SOS Vietnam’s total regular operating budget.

SOS International proposed handing over eight of the 17 villages to local authorities on September 19, 2024, followed by a May 14, 2025 proposal to the Ministry of Health. Both sides signed a memorandum of understanding for the transfer of eight villages and 25 educational facilities in March 2026. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính subsequently issued Decision 735/QĐ-TTg requiring the handover process to conclude before June 30, 2026.

Giang asserted that the transition does not halt child care, rearing, or educational activities. Five localities have already completed the consolidation process, while three others are finalizing their transition plans. The “SOS family home” model remains active, and support systems for workers and children stay fully guaranteed.

The Vietnam SOS Children’s Village system was established through a cooperation agreement in 1987. Over the past four decades, the network has cared for and nurtured 7,048 children and adolescents across 17 villages.

Under Decision 735/QD-TTg, the eight villages and their educational units were transferred to local authorities with all facilities, finances, personnel, and enrolled children intact. The Ministry of Health guides and supervises the handover, while regional bodies absorb the resources to secure child welfare operations. Five regions have completed reorganization, with the remaining three finishing their plans.