A 10-year-old orphan from Vietnam is in Toronto for surgery to remove a massive tumour from his face that could eventually stop his breathing or cause him to starve to death.

Doctors at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children began assessing Hoang Son Pham's condition on Tuesday before attempting the delicate surgery.

An Ontario charity called the Children's Bridge Foundation raised $125,000 to bring Son Pham to Toronto after some of its workers met the boy in an orphanage north of Hanoi last spring.

"When I saw his mouth getting smaller and smaller, I talked to my colleague at work and I said we have to do something for this little boy here," the foundation's Tan Ngo told CBC News.

The response from the Vietnamese community was overwhelming, said Ngo.

Phuong Phan, a tourist from Philadelphia who donated $100, was one of many who helped.

"I heard they just came from Vietnam and it's a chance for me to do something for him," he said.

The foundation is trying to raise another $25,000 to pay for Son Pham's surgery.

At a downtown restaurant recently, Ngo helped Son Pham get soup into his tiny mouth.

"You have to be very patient when he eats. It takes long," said Ngo, who worries every time the boy coughs that he might not be able to open his mouth wide enough and might choke.

Son Pham will spend four months with a Vietnamese family in Markham while he recovers from his surgery.