Hanoi: The Xuan Hong (red spring) festival – the biggest annual blood donation campaign after the Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration, kicked off in Hanoi on February 20, expecting to collect at least 8,000 units of blood.

Jointly organised by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) and the Hanoi Youth Association for Blood Donation, the event aims to solve the shortage of blood supply for treatment after Tet.

During the eight-day event, donors can visit one of the three venues in Hanoi – the institute, the Trau Quy Secondary school in Gia Lam district, and AEON Mall Ha Dong in Ha Dong district.

Chairman of the Hanoi Youth Association for Blood Donation Trinh Xuan Thuy said in the days leading to Tet, thousands of volunteers of the association still join communications activities calling for blood donation at public locations.

The association also created a strong communication campaign on social networks with the participation of 3,000 volunteers, he said, adding that such meaning
ful and humane activities offer opportunities for young people to join activities for social security.

Organised annually for 16 years, the blood donation event drew hundreds of thousands of blood donors, receiving over 110,000 blood units in Hanoi alone. This activity has contributed to changing the public perception on voluntary blood donation, a honorable deed to usher in the New Year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency