Students donate blood at the Chủ Nhật Đỏ (Red Sunday) Blood Donation Programme at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

HÀ NỘI — Thousands of young people donated blood during Chủ Nhật Đỏ (Red Sunday) Blood Donation Programme at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Hà Nội on December 18.

The event was jointly organised by the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, the National Steering Committee on Traffic Safety, and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusions (NIHBT).

The organising committee expect to collect 45,000-50,000 units from November 2022 to February 2023 in more than 40 provinces and cities across the country.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Health Minister Trần Văn Thuấn called on all healthy people to participate in in blood donation to save lives, especially health workers, to build a healthier and more humane society and help sick people in need of blood.

“It is blood donation events such as Red Sunday that have contributed to ensuring blood sources for treating patients before and after the Lunar New Year, contributing to bringing life and faith to them and their families,” said Thuấn.

The voluntary blood donation movement in Việt Nam has achieved remarkable results over the past 30 years. Each year, Việt Nam collects more than 1.4 million units of blood, of which 99 per cent of blood is donated from voluntary donors, according to Thuấn. 

Participants at the Chủ Nhật Đỏ (Red Sunday) programme in Hà Nội on December 18. — Photo tienphong.vn

Lê Xuân Sơn, Editor-in-Chief of Tiền Phong newspaper and head of the Organising Committee, said that the amount of blood mobilised annually in the Red Sunday programme made a significant contribution to the country’s blood donation movement.

“The Red Sunday blood donation programme has developed from the initial small blood donation event to a large movement with the participation of a large force across the country, ready to extend their arms to donate precious drops of blood to save patients, multiply volunteering spirit, building the country's voluntary blood donation movement,” said Sơn.

Hoàng Hà Duy, a first-year student at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that this is the first time he participated in the Red Sunday programme and also the first time he donated his blood voluntarily.

He said: “I feel very proud to participate in a meaningful programme held on our campus. I am sure that, in the future, I will participate in more voluntary blood donation programmes to make my student years more meaningful.”

As of December 17, the 15th Red Sunday programme has been held in seven provinces and cities with 15 blood donation events. The programme has received more than 8,000 blood units. — VNS