A persistent journey of compassion for the community.

The core value of humanitarian work is not only reflected in material support but also in its timeliness and targeting the right beneficiaries. A timely gift can help a family overcome a difficult period; a scholarship can preserve the dream of going to school for poor students; a drop of blood donated can save a life. To achieve this, the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society has closely monitored the situation at the grassroots level, directly understanding each specific circumstance to provide long-term assistance.

Sow seeds of faith to change lives.

At the end of April, during the launch of the 2026 Humanitarian Month, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Anh (66 years old, residing in Binh Tien ward) was delighted to participate in free shopping using vouchers donated by the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society. With the money on the voucher, Ms. Ngoc Anh chose to buy essential daily necessities for her family.

Giving shopping vouchers to needy people during Humanitarian Month 2026. Photo: THAI PHUONG

According to Ms. Ngoc Anh, this was very timely encouragement, providing support for her and her husband, who suffered a stroke, during a difficult time. During the Lunar New Year of 2026, Ms. Ngoc Anh and her husband also received practical support from the Red Cross, which helped cover her husband's medical treatment costs and provided their home with warm New Year's gifts.

Ms. Ngoc Anh's family is one of millions who have received assistance from humanitarian activities in recent times. Beyond organizing emergency relief efforts to help people overcome their most difficult times, in recent years, humanitarian work has gradually shifted from "emergency assistance" to "support for recovery and sustainable livelihood development." This approach helps those in difficult circumstances become more self-reliant through their own labor and resources, giving them more confidence to proactively change their lives.

One humanitarian act carried out by the Binh Loi Trung Ward Red Cross Society over the years is providing funeral assistance to those in difficult circumstances and living alone. One afternoon in mid-April, the Red Cross branch in neighborhood 40, Binh Loi Trung Ward, received news of the passing of Mrs. Le Ngoc Hai (90 years old). Mrs. Hai had a difficult family situation, living with her grandson in a small, dilapidated, cramped house in a narrow alley. Due to the hardships of making a living, her grandson did not have enough money to organize a funeral for her. Therefore, the Binh Loi Trung Ward Red Cross Society, together with the Bac Ai Charitable Sponsorship Committee, quickly visited the family to inquire about their situation and provided full financial support for Mrs. Hai's funeral (over 37 million VND).

Over the past period, humanitarian social work has been widely implemented by the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross at all levels with many movements and models that have a strong ripple effect: "Humanitarian Tet", "Humanitarian Month", the campaign "Each organization, each individual is associated with a humanitarian cause", "Zero-Cost Supermarket", "Humanitarian Market", "Zero-Cost Market", the program "Nutrition for poor and disabled children", "Safety for poor and disadvantaged fishermen"... The overarching goal of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross is to ensure that each project and task brings practical value, helping disadvantaged people have the opportunity to rise up and stabilize their lives.

Silent contributions

Humanitarian work over the past period has not only been measured by time but also nurtured by the persistent process of compassion. Stemming from a sense of responsibility and a kind heart, many charitable kitchens are now present in various localities, from workers' dormitories and hospitals to disadvantaged coastal areas, quietly contributing to maintaining the rhythm of sharing within the community.

Poor workers receive free Tet (Lunar New Year) shopping in the final days of the year through the "Humanitarian Market" program. PHOTO: THAI PHUONG

Regularly, once a month, the small kitchen of Ms. Dao Thi Lien (66 years old, residing in Binh Duc hamlet, Ngai Giao commune, Ho Chi Minh City) is bustling with activity from early morning. Together with the Binh Duc Gratitude group, Ms. Lien prepares over 200 free meals for patients at the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Mental Hospital. Each cooking session, though costing only about 7 million VND, ensures that the meals are complete with meat, fish, green vegetables, and fruit. "Seeing the patients holding the meal boxes and expressing their gratitude, I feel that all the hard work is worthwhile," Ms. Lien shared. Mr. Ng.HT (a patient currently receiving treatment at the hospital), a regular recipient of meals from Ms. Lien's group, expressed that these hot meals make him feel cared for and supported during his illness.

Not only at the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Psychiatric Hospital, but also in Hong Lan hamlet (Ngai Giao commune), the "Free Vegetarian Meal Kitchen" has been operating for nearly four years. Established in September 2022, the volunteer group (led by Mr. Le Si Hai) has organized 98 free meal cooking sessions for patients and their families at various hospitals. Each time, the group prepares approximately 300 meals, worth nearly 5 million VND.

Some notable achievements during the 2022-2026 term:

- Donated over 616,100 Tet gifts with a total value of over 320 billion VND.

- Over 1.2 million people received assistance during "Humanitarian Month".

- Constructed 310 Red Cross houses with a total value of over 21 billion VND.

- Organized 251 humanitarian markets, zero-cost markets, and zero-cost supermarkets, assisting over 156,000 people.

- Over 282 billion VND spent on healthcare and initial first aid for more than 2.3 million people.

- Donated nearly 8 million meals to the sick and needy.

- Provided timely first aid to over 16,290 cases in the community.

- Received over 1.4 million units of blood.

THAI PHUONG

In addition, Red Cross branches in hospitals have many practical programs to care for patients, such as the "Ecosystem for Supporting Patients in Difficult Circumstances" model at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital. This is a closed-loop model that proactively cares for patients comprehensively from the moment they enter the hospital until they are discharged and return home. Similarly, the Red Cross at People's Hospital 115 has implemented the "four no's" model: "no place of residence; no relatives; no finances; no identification documents," which has helped hundreds of patients find their relatives and reintegrate into society.

A noble act of humanity spreading throughout Ho Chi Minh City is the voluntary blood donation movement. Mr. Nguyen Hoa (residing in Hoa Hung ward), who has donated blood 131 times, is one of the beautiful flowers in the garden of compassion of the voluntary blood donation movement. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Humanitarian Blood Donation, the city receives approximately 338,000 to over 400,000 units of blood annually. During the past term alone, the entire city received over 1.4 million units of blood, worth more than 422 billion VND, thus meeting 100% of the city's blood needs and supporting provinces in the Southwest region. In addition, many activities providing assistance beyond national scope, such as mobilizing support for the people of Türkiye and Syria after the 2023 earthquake; and supporting the people of Cuba in 2025… have also been implemented by the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society.

According to representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society, the 2022-2026 term marks a comprehensive development of the Society in terms of organizational scale, operational quality, and resource coordination capacity. The successful consolidation of the Red Cross organization in the expanded area after the merger has created an important foundation for the Society to enter a new phase of development with the spirit of Compassion - Professionalism - Modernity - and Outreach, better meeting the humanitarian needs of the community.

Today, May 29th, the official session of the First Congress of the Vietnam Red Cross Society of Ho Chi Minh City, for the term 2026-2031, took place at the Ho Chi Minh City Hall. The Congress's nhiệm vụ (task/mission) is to summarize and evaluate the results of the Society's work and the Red Cross movement during the 2022-2026 term; and to set forth directions, goals, and tasks for the 2026-2031 term. With the theme "Promoting the tradition of compassion and solidarity; building a strong, professional, and modern Red Cross Society for the city, for a safe, compassionate, and sustainable community," the Congress was attended by leaders of the Vietnam Red Cross Society; leaders of the City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; representatives of departments, agencies, and organizations; Red Cross Societies from 33 provinces and cities; and 257 official delegates.

During the preparatory session held on the afternoon of May 28th, delegates heard a report reviewing the Executive Committee's performance during the 2022-2026 term; provided feedback on the Congress documents; held consultations to elect the first Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross Society for the 2026-2031 term; and elected the delegation to attend the 12th National Congress of the Vietnam Red Cross Society.

THAI PHUONG - TRUC GIANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ben-bi-hanh-trinh-nhan-ai-vi-cong-dong-post854914.html