More than 6,000 Red Cross officials and volunteers from Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces joined in a walk to call for joint actions to mitigate adverse impacts posed by urbanization on the human lives. The walk also drew representatives from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as Red Cross societies of France and Switzerland. Speaking at the ceremony, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan stressed urbanization is an indispensable trend of each country during the process of development. It has both positive and negative effects, she said. The program aims to encourage support for the poor and those who lose jobs due to urbanization, and improve public awareness of negative impacts of urbanization, the vice president noted. On this occasion, the Vietnam Red Cross Society launched a four-month blood donation campaign through Sept. 2 to help address the shortage of blood in treatment at hospitals.
