The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) held the first national conference on blood donation in Hanoi on December 10.
Participants in the event highlighted the importance of donating blood to ensure an adequate supply for patients in hospitals across the country.
Young people, especially Youth Union members, workers and members of the armed forces, were encouraged to donate blood to help those in need.
Ngo Manh Quan, an official from the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, said that it is essential to have a strategy for voluntary blood donation approved by the Government.
Healthy people should take part in blood drives and consider it their responsibility and duty to the community, he added.
VRC Deputy Chairman Phung Van Hoan said that since 2008, 550,000-750,000 units of blood have been collected each year and 84.2 percent of those came from volunteers. However, he said, this only meets 40 percent of the total demand.