In 1968, as the Vietnam War raged on, a project of great secrecy had just been completed. The Nanxishan Hospital, the only hospital in China established exclusively for the treatment of non-Chinese patients, was never officially announced to the public, as its very existence could jeopardize the lives of its patients. During its 8 years of operation, it treated a total of 5,432 Vietnamese – the fruition of a long-lasting friendship between the two countries which continues to this very day.