A member of the Red Journey's organising board presents flowers to a blood donor at the blood donation event in HCM City on June 22 (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City collected a total of 1,500 blood units on June 22as part of a nationwide blood donation campaign “Hanh Trinh Do” (Red Journey).
Starting on June13, the campaign has been held in Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh,Can Tho, Lam Dong, Dak Lak and HCM City. To date, more than 7,500 blood units werecollected during this year’s campaign.
The organisingboard of the Red Journey campaign puts a programme themed “Globin Cipher” inactivities in Ho Chi Minh City and several other localities with the aim to raisecommunity awareness of thalassemia - a genetic blood disorder that can lead toheart failure and liver problems.
Doctor Ngo ManhQuan, from the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion,stressed the importance of the work, especially for young people and thoseabout to get married, as around 2,000 Vietnamese babies are born withthalassemia each year.
Luu Hoang Phuc, a resident in HCM City’s Phu Nhuan district, who has donatedhis blood 26 times, said: “Each blood donation takes around one hour, but cansave someone from critical conditions. I feel very happy”.
“Red Journey” isa cross-country campaign initiated by the National Steering Committee forVoluntary Blood Donation and the National Institute of Haematology and BloodTransfusion in 2013, aiming to raise public awareness of the need for blooddonation as well as thalassaemia, a genetic blood disorder that can lead to heartfailure and liver problems, and to address the shortage of blood for medicaluse.
Over the pastfive years, more than 120,000 blood units were collected, helping to reduceblood shortages during summer and saves lives of thousands of patients acrossthe country.
This year’scampaign will conclude on July 14, passing through 26 cities and provinces andexpected to collect at least 30,000 blood units. In 2017, the campaigncollected over 38,000 blood units nationwide.-VNA
The Secretariat of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Committee announced its plan for the upcoming summer voluntary campaign, which runs from June 3 to August 31.
A wide range of activities will be held from June 7-9 in the capital city of Hanoi and the northern province of Ninh Binh to honour 100 outstanding blood donors nationwide to celebrate World Blood Donor Day (June 14).
The National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation and the Ninh Binh province chapter of the Vietnam Red Cross Society held a ceremony on June 7 in Ninh Binh province to honour 100 outstanding blood donors.
The Mekong Delta City of Can Tho expects to collect about 1,100 blood units in this year’s nationwide blood donation campaign “Hanh Trinh Do” (Red Journey) held in the city on June 17.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A member of the Red Journey's organising board presents flowers to a blood donor at the blood donation event in HCM City on June 22 (Photo: VNA) 
