Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The 14th national red journey blood donation campaign was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on June 11, with organisers aiming to collect 120,000 units of blood nationwide this year.
The programme is jointly organised by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), VTVCorp and the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Mobilisation.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Ha Thanh, Director of the NIHBT and head of the campaign’s organising committee, said the Red Journey is a symbol of dedication, compassion and social responsibility.
He said the campaign carries the hopes of millions of voluntary blood donors and helps bring life-saving opportunities to patients in urgent need of blood transfusions.
This year’s campaign is being held in 32 provinces and cities across the country, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Dak Lak. It targets the collection of 120,000 blood units, including 25,000 units from major donation events and 95,000 units from accompanying activities.
So far, the campaign has already been successfully organised in Lai Chau, Thai Nguyen and Dong Nai provinces, collecting nearly 3,000 units of blood.
Since its launch in 2013, Red Journey has become Vietnam’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign. Over the past 13 editions, it has organised 3,525 donation events nationwide and collected more than one million units of blood.
Beyond increasing blood supplies, the programme has helped strengthen coordination among localities, improve the efficiency of blood distribution nationwide and build a sustainable network of local volunteers.
On the opening day, the “Drops of Pink Blood from Ho Chi Minh City” blood donation festival was also held at multiple locations across the city, with an expected collection of around 1,300 blood units.
The city aims to receive more than 6,000 blood units through this year’s Red Journey campaign while promoting awareness of thalassemia, encouraging repeat donations and larger-volume donations of 350ml to 450ml. Digital transformation is also being applied through online blood donation registration platforms and the “Giot mau vang” (Golden Drop of Blood) mobile application.
On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day on June 14, organisers honoured outstanding individual blood donors and donor families who have made significant contributions to humanitarian and voluntary blood donation activities./.
