As many as 34,000 books were presented to needy pupils in the northern province of Bac Giang on November 12 as part of a three-year programme jointly implemented by the Kim Dong Publishing House and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee.

The books, worth 670 million VND (31,057USD) in total, are available at the library of the provincial Children’s Cultural House and bookcases of kindergartens and primary schools in the locality’s disadvantages areas.

Launched in 2013, the programme aims to give one million books to 2,000 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in remote and mountainous areas nationwide with a view to nurturing passion for reading among kids.

Last year, the programme brought books to 467 schools in Hanoi, and Lao Cai, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Quang Binh, Quang Ngai, Da Nang and Bac Lieu provinces.

Meanwhile, in the northern province of Hai Duong, the provincial Red Cross Association and the insurance company Prudential Vietnam jointly organised a blood donation campaign during which 500 volunteers donated 281 units of blood.

According to the association, the province’s voluntary blood donation movement has seen progress in recent years. The volume of blood collected from volunteers increased from 10 percent in 2013 to 70 percent in 2014.

The province has so far this year collected over 7,000 blood units from voluntary donation programmes.-VNA