The parade to celebrate World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: The Anh) HCM City (VNA) - Nearly 600 officials and volunteers of the Vietnam Red Cross Society participated in the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day celebration in HCM City on May 6.
The day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, with more than 80 million members and 16 million volunteers.
More than 400,000 volunteers are participating in the work of the Red Cross, including blood donation, first aid, emergency response, health and social care, and preparing for natural disasters, said Doan Van Thai, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Red Cross Society.
The society calls on everyone to be involved in the humanitarian movement, Thai said.
Over the 70 years since its inception, the Vietnam Red Cross Society has contributed significantly to the international humanitarian cause, he added.
Various charity campaigns have been effectively implemented across the country, including Tet (Lunar New Year) for the poor and victims of Agent Orange, blood donation campaigns, cow banks for the poor, and community health check-ups and treatment.
Last year, the Red Cross Society’s HCM City Chapter received donations worth 348 billion VND (15.5 million USD), an increase of 20 percent compared to 2014.
The volume of blood donated to the Red Cross in HCM City was 221.944 blood units, accounting for 17 percent of the country’s blood donations.-VNA
