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.
Youngsters donate blood at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in Hanoi. (Photo courtesy of NIHBT)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The health sector is calling people to donate blood to address severe shortages, which is critical for emergency needs and patient treatment at hospitals in the northern region.
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. In particular, blood type O, the most commonly used blood type, is at an alarming level, requiring up to 15,000 units of blood.
“Emergency and treatment cannot be interrupted. I hope that all people who are healthy enough to donate blood regularly, especially this summer. Because ‘every drop of blood given – a life remains,” said NIHBT Director Dr Nguyen Ha Thanh.
“Summer is a time when the number of blood donors always fluctuates. People go on vacation, students return to their hometowns, community activities are interrupted, but diseases still occur. Many children need monthly blood transfusions. If they do not receive enough blood, they will become exhausted, have enlarged hearts, organ failure or even die,” said Thanh.
The Viet Duc University Hospital on July 3 also called on people with blood type O (Rh negative) to donate blood urgently to have enough blood for surgery and treatment for a patient with multiple severe injuries: broken femur, forearm bone and complex maxillofacial injury.
The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion urgently called on those who are in good health to donate blood.
Donations can be made at the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at No.5, Pham Van Bach Street or fixed blood donation points in Hanoi at 18 Quan Su Street, 132 Quan Nhan Street, No.10, Alley 122, Lang Road, and Agricultural General Hospital (Km13+500, National Highway 1A, Ngoc Hoi commune./.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan praised the honorees not only for their frequent donations – some exceeding 60, 80, 90, or even 100 contributions – but also for their noble spirit.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
First launched in 2008 to address post-Tet blood shortages, the festival expanded nationwide in 2010 under the direction of the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation Campaign. Over 17 editions, the festival has attracted hundreds of thousands of donors across the nation, with the Hanoi event – hosted by the institute – collecting nearly 120,000 blood units.
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.
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.
Vietnam is currently reshaping its grassroots healthcare system to better serve a rapidly ageing population, address changing disease burdens, and meet rising public expectations fuelled by economic growth.
