Mr. Nguyen Hai Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, gives an interview to a VNA reporter. Photo: VNA
On this occasion, VNA reporter had an interview with Mr. Nguyen Hai Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, about the outstanding results and key orientations of the Society in the coming time.
Sir, could you please tell us about the outstanding results in humanitarian work in recent times, especially in emergency relief activities?
The period 2020-2025 can be considered one of the most challenging periods for humanitarian work in our country. Extreme natural disasters, global pandemics, climate change... have created a lot of pressure on the poor and vulnerable groups. In such a volatile context, the Vietnam Red Cross has clearly demonstrated its position, role, mettle and responsibility as a national humanitarian force, persistently present in the most difficult places and in the most urgent times.
The Vietnam Red Cross Society's emergency relief work is carried out according to the motto "timely - right target - right need - community-based", linking emergency relief with long-term recovery and sustainable adaptation. For emergency relief due to natural disasters, the Red Cross Society has implemented emergency relief projects and recovery projects, prioritizing the development of sustainable models such as: Disaster-proof safe houses, sustainable livelihoods for poor households, Early Action and Early Response models... proactively and effectively contributing to the total value of humanitarian activities in the period 2020 - 2025 with a total value of more than 29 trillion VND, supporting over 102 million beneficiaries.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaigns "Connecting the community - Overcoming challenges" and "Millions of charitable gifts" have spread strongly, supporting millions of people with a total value of more than 1,624 billion VND. In addition to domestic relief, the Association coordinates with ministries and branches in epidemic prevention communication, supporting medical equipment, necessities, livelihoods, and mobilizing international resources to share with heavily affected countries.
An important milestone is the Key Program "Safety for poor and disadvantaged fishermen" for the 2022-2027 period, targeting 291 coastal communes of 23 provinces and cities. As of June 2025, the program has built and repaired 1,077 houses; given life jackets, first aid kits, and national flags; organized communication on maritime law and trained first aid skills for more than 119,000 people, with a total value of more than 133.7 billion VND. The program has become an important support to help fishermen feel secure at sea, develop the economy, and contribute to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands.
In the field of community health care, the network of 698 Red Cross clinics and mobile examination teams continued to promote efficiency, organizing medical examinations, providing free medicine and health consultations for millions of people, especially in remote, border and island areas. In the past 5 years, the total value of health care activities reached 3,165 billion VND, helping more than 40 million people. The Association also promoted nutrition programs for poor children, children with disabilities and supported the construction of clean water and environmental sanitation projects in many difficult areas.
In particular, "Humanitarian Month" has truly become a national humanitarian brand, attracting millions of participants each year. Activities such as donating Red Cross houses, supporting livelihoods, handing out savings books, organizing "Humanitarian Markets", free medical examinations and other practical care programs have contributed to raising community awareness, strongly arousing the spirit of sharing and spreading humanitarian values widely in society.
The results achieved are a testament to the solidarity of the whole society and the dedication of the staff, members and volunteers. The Vietnam Red Cross Society affirms its determination to accompany the Party, State and People in building a compassionate and sustainable community, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Providing essential food, supplies, and drinking water to people in flooded areas in Gia Lai. Photo: Trinh Bang Nhiem/VNA
In the context of increasingly extreme natural disasters and increasing social security needs, could you please tell us what solutions the Vietnam Red Cross is prioritizing to improve response capacity, strengthen local resources and expand social mobilization models to provide timely support to people?
In the context of natural disasters becoming not only more complex and extreme but also more difficult to predict, with multiple risks and increasing social security needs, the Vietnam Red Cross Society has determined that it must strongly innovate, especially shifting from "passive response" to "proactive forecasting - early action - sustainable risk reduction"; the key task is to proactively improve response capacity, consolidate on-site forces and increase the mobilization of social resources to ensure timely and effective support for people.
Firstly, we focus on improving forecasting, warning and early response capacity through perfecting the risk information and warning system; training and strengthening disaster response teams at all levels; implementing a model of safe communities against natural disasters; continuing to pilot and replicate the model of forecast-based financial support (FbF) and nature-based risk mitigation, associated with digital transformation and green transformation. Activities are implemented according to the Climate Change Action Framework for the period 2023-2027.
Second, we focus on strengthening local capacity to ensure quick response when natural disasters occur. The Association reserves essential goods, builds community security points, standardizes relief procedures, and regularly trains response skills for staff, members, and volunteers. At the same time, we promote the "4 on-site" motto to promote local resources, minimize damage, and improve the community's ability to respond.
Third, we diversify resources and expand cooperation with international organizations, businesses, and philanthropists, promote digital transformation in humanitarian work, apply technology in disaster management, coordinate resources and support people through digital platforms, ensuring transparency, speed and the right target. The Association strengthens coordination with the Red Cross - Red Crescent Movement; at the same time, develop modern fundraising forms such as the charity application of the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank and the coordination program with the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam.
Fourth, we develop and replicate sustainable humanitarian models such as safe houses, adaptive livelihoods, "Red Cross Rice Jars", "Charity Kitchens" and clean water and environmental sanitation programs; implement key programs such as "Safety for poor and disadvantaged fishermen"; continue to promote the mass movement of humanitarian work through "Humanitarian Month", "Humanitarian Tet" and large-scale resource mobilization campaigns, attracting the participation of the community and volunteers.
With the motto "For everyone, everywhere", the Vietnam Red Cross Society strives to promote its core role in humanitarian activities, aiming to improve the ability to prevent, reduce risks and ensure safety for people, so that whenever difficulties arise, people have the closest and most timely support.
Vietnam Red Cross Society provides emergency relief to people in flooded areas of Nghe An. Photo: VNA
The campaign to support the Cuban people has received strong support from all walks of life. Could you tell us what this result means for the Association's humanitarian diplomacy work in the current period?
The campaign to support the Cuban people "65 years of Vietnam - Cuba friendship" within the framework of "Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Year" on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries has received strong support from people at home and abroad, with the total value of the campaign reaching over 656 billion VND, more than 10 times the initial minimum target with over 2.1 million supports, reflecting the depth of the special, loyal relationship between the Party, State and people of Vietnam and Cuba, an outstanding demonstration of the strength of Vietnam's humanitarian diplomacy.
The campaign results deeply demonstrate the tradition of solidarity, mutual love and friendship between the people of the two countries; at the same time, deepen international humanitarian cooperation and affirm the role of the Vietnam Red Cross Society in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The program also contributes to strengthening the relationship between the Vietnam Red Cross Society and the Cuban Red Cross Society and many other national societies.
The success of the program affirms the Association's prestige in mobilizing resources and implementing large-scale humanitarian activities, while demonstrating Vietnam's consistent humanitarian foreign policy, contributing to enhancing the country's position and promoting peace and international cooperation.
In particular, the program creates a positive ripple effect, strongly arousing the spirit of humanity and international sentiment of the Vietnamese people, consolidating the foundation of humanitarian values and encouraging widespread community participation in volunteer activities.
Looking forward to the 6th National Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Vietnam Red Cross Society and the 79th anniversary of its founding, could you please tell us about the key contents of this Congress and the Society's expectations in spreading the humanitarian emulation movement nationwide?
The 6th National Patriotic Emulation Congress of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, period 2025 - 2030 took place on November 22 - 23, 2025 in Hanoi. The Congress aimed to summarize and comprehensively evaluate the patriotic emulation movement and reward work in the period 2020 - 2025; draw lessons; propose directions, tasks and solutions for the emulation movement in the period 2025 - 2030.
The Congress is an event of special political and social significance, taking place on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the establishment and implementation of the "Humanitarian Power 2025" Program, a "great festival" honoring the humanitarian spirit, spreading compassion in the community. Through the Congress, we continue to arouse and spread more strongly the spirit of "competing to do good deeds", becoming a driving force to promote humanitarian movements to develop widely and sustainably, contributing to building a humane society, leaving no one behind.
At the Congress, 205 individuals with outstanding achievements were honored, 19 typical enterprises with many contributions to the patriotic emulation movement of the Association in the period of 2020 - 2025 were honored, and the Friendship Medal of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was specially awarded to organizations and individuals in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. At the Congress, the Patriotic Emulation Movement for the period of 2025 - 2030 was launched, demonstrating the determination of the Association at all levels to achieve greater goals in humanitarian work and social security in the next 5 years.
In the new emulation period, one of the major focuses of the Association is to innovate its operating methods, especially focusing on digital transformation in humanitarian work to improve the efficiency of resource mobilization, data management and support for people so that each Red Cross activity is practical and sustainable. The Association continues to deepen its major movements and campaigns, such as Humanitarian Month, Each organization, each individual is associated with a humanitarian address, Humanitarian Tet, voluntary blood donation, promoting the strength of national solidarity, building a humane society - no one is left behind; strengthening disaster prevention and response according to the model of "Early action before natural disasters", public health care, blood donation and organ donation; At the same time, effectively implement the Association's Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, focusing on training and building a team of dedicated, visionary, brave, intelligent, enthusiastic cadres, members, and volunteers, spreading Vietnamese humanitarian culture in the new era.
The Association hopes that the Congress will create momentum to promote the humanitarian movement to spread widely, inspire the community and affirm the Association's core role in humanitarian work, contributing to improving the effectiveness of serving the people and moving towards the goal of "leaving no one behind".
With this year's 'Humanitarian Tet' Movement, what new points does the Vietnam Red Cross Society expect in terms of implementation scale, support methods and priority target groups?
On November 21, 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City Red Cross launched the "Compassionate Tet" movement for the Spring of Binh Ngo 2026, calling on the whole society to join hands to take care of the poor and disadvantaged during Tet. Photo: Thanh Vu/VNA
2026 is the first year that the whole country operates a two-level local government model. The Year of the Horse will take place right after the 14th National Congress of the Party with new faith, new determination, new spirit, striving to successfully implement the Resolution of the Party Congress. That requires humanitarian movements - especially the Humanitarian Tet - to innovate more strongly in methods, ensure wide coverage, high quality and be suitable for the new organizational apparatus, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, humanity, innovation, sharing, while inheriting the good values from the Tet programs of the Association system over the past years.
The program will be deployed simultaneously in 34 provinces and cities, each locality will organize at least one provincial-level Tet Charity Program with about 300 beneficiaries, each gift worth at least 500,000 VND. In addition, the provincial and municipal Associations will organize more gift-giving and Tet activities suitable to local culture and needs, ensuring that no one is left behind.
During the Lunar New Year, the Association focuses on supporting poor and near-poor households, people with disabilities, Agent Orange victims, disadvantaged patients, households affected by natural disasters in 2025 and vulnerable groups; at the same time, taking care of officials, members and volunteers in difficulty.
The goal is to care for at least 1.5 million people in difficult circumstances with a total expected value of 750 billion VND. The Vietnam Red Cross Society hopes that Tet Nhan Phi 2026 will become a strong spreading campaign, bringing a warm spring to the people and continuing to promote the spirit of charity - the core value of the Society.
Thank you very much!
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/ton-vinh-tinh-than-nhan-dao-lan-toa-long-nhan-ai-trong-cong-dong-20251122111648626.htm
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