(VOV) - Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan last Sunday launched 2013 Red Spring festival under the theme “Share Red Blood – Give Hope”. The blood donation campaign is held annually to save lives and build a healthier community. VOV reporter Thu Hang looks at the campaign in an article entitled “Humanity for community”.

Hundreds of young people gathered at My Dinh National Stadium in the early morning for the blood donation campaign. What is special in this year’s Red Spring festival is the participation of hundreds of couples and families. Pham Van Minh and Pham Thi Thanh Van are one of the 6,000 couples participating in the campaign. This is the 8^th time Van has donated blood. For Minh it is the 2^nd time. He came more than one hundred kilometers from Hai Phong to Hanoi to join his girl friend to donate blood. Van says the blood donation campaign is unforgettable memory for them. For Minh, the blood donation campaign is an truly meaningful, as he can join his girl friend in doing a good thing. They hope to continue taking part in later campaigns: "We come here with the hope of sharing our blood with needy people. This year’s festival is on a large scale and very practical. I feel very happy to be taking part in the campaign".

This year’s Red Spring blood donation festival includes mothers who came very early to join their children. Some mothers have donated blood many times and their children are called “red shirt soldiers”.

Ms. Luu Thi Thiep from Ninh Binh is the mother of Nguyen Thi Thu Van, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities: "I think the greatest happiness of a mother is to see her child grow, healthy and polite. What they have done brings great happiness and pride to their  mothers. This humanitarian activity gives the gift of life to many  needy people".

The Deputy Minister of Health called on people to save needy patients with their love, kindness and blood. Over the past few years, the blood donation campaign has received a positive response from many young people, pupils and students. The festival has become a day for kind hearts nationwide: "I hope that this year’s festival will see an active response from pupils and students. Many patients need blood. You can save their lives with your blood".

The Red Spring festival and National Blood Donation Day are an opportunity to honor volunteer blood donors. This year’s festival hopes to meet the demand for blood at hospitals and kick off National Blood Donation Year. Professor Nguyen Anh Tri, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said: "This year’s event is well-organized, starting with receiving the blood donors to make them feel comfortable. We also honor mothers who not only gave birth to young volunteer donors but also donate their own blood".

Over the past 20 years, the blood donation campaign in Vietnam has grown steadily. Recently, a number of blood transfusion centers were set up to collect and classify blood products. Humanitarian blood donation delivers the most precious gift, there is life.

Thu Hang