(VOVWORLD) -June 14th is observed as World Blood Donor Day. This year’s slogan “Give blood, give now, give often” calls for more blood donors and readiness to give blood in emergencies. Vietnam is celebrating World Blood Donor Day for the first time this year.
World Blood Donor Day was celebrated in Vietnam early this week. Activities included a bike parade with 3 volunteers who rode from Iran to Vietnam, an international conference on increasing the number of safe blood donors, and a visit to Vietnamese heritage sites.
Hanoi led the blood donation campaign, successfully organizing a blood donation unit in every ward and commune. Nguyen Sy Truong, Vice Chairman of Hanoi’s Red Cross Society, said: “To get everyone involved in the campaign, we organized many events, like the Red Journey, connecting all provinces and cities, and the Pink Drops of Appreciation. We honor generous donors who inspire others to donate blood to save people in need.”
The highlight celebration honored 100 outstanding donors, including 49-year-old Tran Nguyen Dung of Ho Chi Minh City, who has donated blood 60 times: “If there are people in need, I’ll go give blood even at night. I do it because I want to share their suffering and ease their pain so they can smile again.”
Exceptional blood donors from other countries participated in Vietnam’s celebration, including Floris Langendam, 68, of the Netherlands, who has given blood 600 times, 29-year-old Ryu Jaehan of South Korea, who has given blood 87 times, and Purushotam Paliwa of India, who has given blood 69 times. Their generous has spread the message “give a drop of blood, save a life”.