Since it began in 2008, the Xuân Hồng (Red Spring) Festival has attracted thousands of blood donors each year, making it the largest blood donation event of the season.

Around 11,000 units of blood were donated at this year's week-long campaign themed "Donating blood in spring, doubling happiness."

Volunteers line up to donate blood at National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

According to Nguyễn Hà Thanh, director of the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), this year's campaign preparations have been much improved thanks to community engagement.

Blood donors are given assurances on their health and supervised by medical professionals throughout the blood donation procedure. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Volunteers' joy at getting gifts after giving blood during the Xuân Hồng festival. This event has helped disseminate the moral principles of the blood donation movement and raise the consciousness of many young people. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Between December 2022 and January this year – the time around the Lunar New Year Festival (Tết) – the biggest and longest traditional festival in Việt Nam, it received 57,000 units, sustaining a reserve of 12,000 units for the holiday period, much higher than the levels posted in previous years.

Volunteers giving blood at the annual Xuân Hồng celebration. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Before giving blood, volunteers undergo a screening process. More than 11,000 people have successfully donated blood during this year's blood donation festival, which draws over 12,000 donors. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Thanh said the blood collected through the Red Spring campaign and others will assist the NIHBT in ensuring blood supply for more than 180 hospitals in the North.

The blood donation event, which has been held yearly for 15 years, has drawn tens of thousands of donors and received over 100,000 blood units.

This practice has contributed to alleviating the scarcity of blood for treatment following the Lunar New Year festival, particularly by influencing people's perceptions of volunteer blood donation, forming an annual good deed as a new year begins. — VNS