Red Cross Society prioritises digital transformation, humanitarian reform

The congress is one of the organisation's most important events as Vietnam marks the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (Nov. 23, 1946 – 2026). It takes place as the country seeks to strengthen social welfare policies and improve preparedness for natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

One of the notable moments during the opening session was delegates' proposal to nominate General Secretary and State President To Lam as Honourary President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society for the 2026-2031 term, underscoring the government's continued support for humanitarian activities.

In her opening remarks, Vietnam Red Cross Society President Do Thi Thu Thao said the organisation aims to become a stronger, more professional and modern humanitarian institution capable of operating more effectively while maintaining its role as Vietnam’s leading humanitarian organisation entrusted by the Party and the State.

She said the society would continue reforming its operations by placing people and local communities at the centre of humanitarian work, as well as using digital transformation, innovation and stronger social partnerships to improve efficiency and transparency.

For the 2026-2031 term, the Vietnam Red Cross Society seeks to mobilise humanitarian resources worth at least VND25 trillion (nearly US$1 billion) and provide assistance to more than 50 million beneficiaries.

The organisation also plans to implement a unified digital management platform across all provincial and commune-level Red Cross branches, expand membership to more than one million members, maintain over 200,000 active volunteers, collect around nine million blood units, and provide first-aid training to between 1.5 million and two million people.

The congress identified three strategic priorities for the coming five years. The first is accelerating comprehensive digital transformation by digitising humanitarian beneficiary databases and improving transparency in humanitarian operations.

The second focuses on building a sustainable humanitarian ecosystem that shifts assistance toward livelihood support and long-term community resilience rather than short-term relief.

The third priority is developing a professional volunteer force capable of responding rapidly to disasters, disease outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies at the local level.

The organisation will also continue implementing nationwide humanitarian programmes, including the annual Tet for Humanity campaign, the Good People, Good Deeds movement, and community-based disaster preparedness programmes.

The congress is expected to mark a new stage in the development of the Vietnam Red Cross Society as it seeks to build a modern, technology-driven humanitarian organisation capable of mobilising broader social resources, contributing to Vietnam’s social welfare, disaster resilience and sustainable development goals.

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