The National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Campaigns has held celebrations in response to the International Day for Blood Donors with activities held nationwide. In its review of blood donation results over the past 10 years, Vietnam collected more than 9.2 million units of blood, saving the lives of patients. The rate of voluntary blood donations increased from 71% in 2008 to 98% in 2017 and the rate of blood donors went up from 0.6% in 2008 to nearly 1.6% of the population last year.

The National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Campaigns has mobilized people to donate blood. Vietnam has also witnessed the establishment of more than 3,000 blood donation clubs with the participation of 135,000 members.

Head of Blood Donations Advocacy Service of the Central Hospital for Blood Transfusion and Hematology, Dr. Ngo Manh Quan was speaking in a ceremony earlier this month to honor 100 outstanding blood donors nationwide to celebrate World Blood Donor Day : “The National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Campaigns has adjusted its Red Journey for better performance and safety. We combine several messages in one activity to raise public awareness about the significance of the Red Journey. Timing for blood donation campaigns has been readjusted to June, which is the peak time for blood demand in many provinces.”

The 6th Red Journey, a blood donation communication campaign, kicked off on Thursday. The month-long journey will travel through 26 cities and provinces with a hope of collecting at least 30,000 blood units. Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilization, Truong Thi Mai said: “The National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Campaigns should promote its role by promoting efficient donation models and honor outstanding donors while strengthening international cooperation in blood donation. Policy consultancy should be fine-tuned to ensure sustainable blood donation mechanism.”

Vietnam has set a target of having at least 2% of its population donate blood by 2020.