30 blood donations by age of 30: A choice to save lives in Vietnam

On Sunday morning, many young people came to the Ho Chi Minh City Humanitarian Blood Donation Center in Ban Co Ward, which was established by merging Wards 1, 2, 3 and 5 and part of Ward 4 in the erstwhile District 3, as part of a recent major administrative restructuring in which local administrations were divided into provinces/cities and wards/communes.

Each donor underwent blood pressure checks, consultations, and thorough health screenings before donating.

Among them were several 18-year-olds donating for the first time. 

Despite admitting they were nervous, they came after hearing about the critical blood shortages affecting hospitals in various provinces.

Mai Vo Phu Toan, from Binh Chanh Commune, began donating blood as a university student.

Binh Chanh is a combination of Tan Quy Tay, Binh Chanh, and part of An Phu Tay Communes in the former Binh Chanh District.

Aware that blood donations provide life-saving support, especially for patients with conditions like Thalassemia (a hereditary blood disorder), Toan said he plans to continue donating regularly.

“If I keep the blood for myself, the cells will eventually die off naturally. Instead, I choose to donate blood to give life to those in need,” he said.

Nguyen Nguyen Anh, a member of the XanhLife Club, shared that around 150 members from the club registered to donate at the center that morning.

In response to the blood shortage, the group decided to donate together, living up to their motto 'share love, give hope.'

Nguyen Thi Thuy Ai, a nurse directly involved in the blood donation process, said that about 300 units of blood were collected on Sunday. 

A donated unit ranges from 250ml to 450ml, depending on the donor's weight.

These blood units would be sent to the blood bank at the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital for proper processing and storage.

Hope for stable blood reserves

Over the past few days, cities and provinces including Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Ha Tinh, and Nghe An have raised alarms over critically low blood supplies.

This urgent issue has prompted hospitals and blood donation centers nationwide to appeal for public participation in voluntary donation drives.

Tran Truong Son, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society, expressed hope that blood reserves would stabilize in the near future.

He praised ongoing efforts by the city’s volunteer blood donation campaign committees, newly formed ward-level Red Cross societies, and related authorities.

In support of these efforts, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee recently issued a directive requesting ward- and commune-level authorities to organize blood donation activities for 2025 and establish local blood donation steering committees.

These measures are aimed at ensuring effective and coordinated blood collection and supply in line with the city’s recent administrative restructuring.