The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit based in Vietnam. OUCRU aims to have a positive and significant impact on global health and, in particular, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. OUCRU enjoys the support of the Vietnamese government, and they work closely with the Ministry of Health Vietnam and the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City. OUCRU have developed strong links with more than 20 Vietnamese hospitals and research institutions including HTD, NHTD, The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), and Hanoi Medical University. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals, and to Vietnam as a whole. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at their host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care throughout Vietnam and the region. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/