Blood donation festival "Red Sunday 2015" will take place in 18 provinces and cities nationwide, and at the Ha Noi University of Technology in Ha Noi, next Sunday (Jan 25).

The annual event aims to collect around 15,000 units of blood in an effort to meet the increasing demand for blood for emergency aid and treatment in hospitals during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Organised by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper and the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion since 2009, the festival has played an important role in the voluntary blood donation movement in Viet Nam.

It has mobilised thousands of people, especially students and volunteers, to donate blood for reducing blood shortages during the Tet period in the country.

Last year, 12,000 units of blood were collected during the event in 10 provinces and cities, compared to 149 units in Ha Noi during the first Red Sunday festival in 2009.

VNS