Happiness is about sharing with the community.
Happiness is not just about achieving your own desires and dreams, but also about sharing and bringing joy to others. To be happy, we need to live more responsibly, share more, and love more.
Execution: Thanh Chung - Technical support: Diep Thanh
Happiness is not just about achieving your own desires and dreams, but also about sharing and bringing joy to others. To be happy, we need to live more responsibly, share more, and love more.
On the occasion of International Happiness Day, March 20th, a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Ho Minh Nam (37 years old), residing in Quynh Van commune, Quynh Luu district - a member of the Fatherland Front Committee of Quynh Luu district, and the Chairman of the Blood Donation Club of Nghe An province.
PV: March 20th is known annually as International Happiness Day. This day carries the message: Balance and harmony are among the keys to happiness... What is your definition of happiness?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:I believe happiness is neither frivolous nor a luxury. Happiness is a deep-seated desire of every family member. The concept of happiness differs for each individual. And within each person, the concept of happiness varies from moment to moment.
Take myself as an example. I was born into a poor, large farming family. As a child, my happiness was getting perfect scores on exams and having a full meal. However, in the 11th grade, despite being a good student, I dropped out of school. At that time, I thought that continuing my education wouldn't guarantee a job, so it was better to start working early to help my family. For me, happiness was a life of material comfort. Because of that mindset, I followed my siblings and friends to work abroad in the United Arab Emirates.
After working abroad for two years, in 2010, I returned to my hometown to do business and trade. At the same time, I rejoined the Youth Union activities in my village and commune. Before going abroad for work, I was the Secretary of the Youth Union branch in my village. At this point, my concept of happiness was no longer simply about having a comfortable life, but also about contributing to building my homeland and country.
Later, when I participated in blood donation to save lives, established the Quynh Luu District Voluntary Blood Donation Club in Nghe An Province; and organized charitable activities to help people in difficult circumstances... happiness for me came from sharing life-saving resources to save lives, and acting to contribute to helping my compatriots escape poverty.
Interviewer: Can you share your personal experiences that led to your perspective: Happiness is about sharing resources and helping those in need?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:In 2007, I had my first experience donating blood to save lives. That year, while visiting my father at the Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, I saw a couple crying in the hospital hallway. Curious, I asked them what was wrong and learned that their son was in critical condition and urgently needed a blood transfusion, but the hospital had run out of O blood type, and their family lived far away. Sympathizing with their situation, I volunteered to donate. I was so happy to find out that my own blood type was also O...
Thanks to my extra unit of blood, the child was out of danger and gradually recovered. This spontaneous blood donation gave me many insights into life and human relationships. I realized that helping people, especially those in difficult circumstances, is a great happiness... Immediately after that blood donation, I left my phone number with the hospital and told them that whenever they needed O blood type to save a patient, the doctors could call me. To date, I have donated blood 60 times for emergency situations.
After returning home from the hospital, I shared my story of donating blood to save lives and my reflections with friends and neighbors. At the same time, I encouraged everyone to participate in blood donation. Back then, most people were quite unfamiliar with the concept of blood donation. So, partly out of curiosity and partly out of a desire to do good, many responded and readily joined me in donating blood whenever a patient needed it.
In 2007, my friends and I voluntarily took buses to Nghe An Friendship General Hospital several times to donate blood and save lives. We donated blood and platelets to patients many times without receiving any compensation. After those donations, a meaningful blood donation movement was formed in Quynh Van commune, with many young people participating.
PV: We understand that through your activities, you have contributed to the formation of a volunteer blood donation community with thousands of participants. Could you tell us more about this community?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:In 2010, after returning from abroad, I continued to actively connect with like-minded individuals and participate in blood donation activities to save lives. To make the group's activities more organized, in 2018, I proposed and sought the opinion of Quynh Van commune, the Red Cross Society of Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province to establish the Quynh Van Commune Blood Donation Club, which was later expanded and renamed the Quynh Luu District Humanitarian Blood Donation Club, and then the Nghe An Province Humanitarian Blood Donation Club.
The club was formed, and I was elected its leader by the members. The club established specific principles and regulations for its operation. One strict principle was: "No one participating in blood donation is allowed to receive any money or compensation whatsoever." It must be said that all club members were very enthusiastic about saving lives and felt responsible to the community. The club gradually became well-organized and grew stronger.
From having to call and visit homes to find blood donors whenever a patient needed it, we've now established a club with a fan page to spread information and attract more young people to participate. From an initial 80 members, mainly from Quynh Luu district, the club now has over 5,000 members from all over the country, becoming a widespread network for humanitarian blood donation. The blood donation club operates primarily in Nghe An, but when patients need help in Hanoi, Ha Tinh, or Thanh Hoa, our volunteers are always ready to go.
Working together for the sake of community life, even during the Covid-19 pandemic when travel was difficult, we were still ready, despite the dangers, to help patients in urgent need of blood. Or on New Year's Eve, we were still ready to donate blood. On average, each year, the club has donated thousands of units of blood, contributing to replenishing the blood reserves for hospitals and emergency patients.
During my visits to the hospital to donate blood, I witnessed many patients in particularly difficult circumstances who needed help. To assist such individuals, my fellow club members and I organized numerous charitable activities, such as providing free meals, giving gifts, and supporting hospital fees and medication costs. Later, the club expanded its charitable activities to include organizing nutritious meals, giving gifts, and building houses for disadvantaged families, especially in mountainous areas. On average, each year, I and the club members raise and contribute over 2 billion VND to help needy families and support patients.
PV: Do your family members support your decision to take on such a challenging role? Do you ever feel tired of "eating at home while shouldering social responsibilities"?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:To be honest, in the beginning, many of my relatives weren't really supportive of my blood donation and blood donation campaigns. That was because, back then, the media and blood donation awareness campaigns weren't as widespread as they are now. Therefore, many people didn't understand the benefits of blood donation and even thought it was harmful to their health. However, after I explained it clearly, they understood and were very supportive of my actions.
Among my family and friends, my wife is the most supportive. My wife and I met while both were involved in youth union activities and volunteer work. Therefore, she understands the nature of my community service activities and those of my club members. The blood donation club is a non-profit organization. However, to maintain the club, it's clearly necessary to have some funding for meetings and gatherings. As the club's chairman, I take responsibility for those expenses. I discussed it with my wife, saying, "Even if our business is doing well or poorly, we should still allocate tens of millions of dong each year for the club members to meet." My wife always agrees with my decisions.
I am happy and fulfilled with my blood donation and volunteer activities, so I have never felt tired. On the contrary, looking back over the past 18 years, these activities have given me so much. Firstly, I have traveled widely, met and befriended many people – people with kind and loving hearts. They have helped me gain more understanding, motivation to strive, and live more positively. Secondly, helping others is helping myself. Every smile, every grateful glance from patients and those in difficult circumstances... that is positive energy for progress. Thirdly, these actions are always recognized, praised, and honored by society. Since 2017, I have received many Certificates of Merit from the People's Committee of Nghe An Province, the Ministry of Health, the Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An Province; and Certificates of Merit from the Provincial Red Cross and the People's Committee of Quynh Luu District.
PV: In the future, what are your plans to contribute to building a happy community?
Mr. Ho Minh Nam:The happiness of the community is built from small bricks – and that is family happiness. My wife and I will continue to love and strive to raise our children well, so that they grow up to be good citizens and continue to contribute to society.
Regarding the blood donation club, we will continue our activities. As long as there are people in need of blood, we will continue to donate, because every drop of blood given is a chance to save someone else's life. In addition, the club will also strengthen its charitable activities, helping the poor; donating hair to cancer patients; and coordinating with the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center to promote and encourage people to register for organ donation. At this time, the club has encouraged more than 40 people to register. I myself have also registered to donate organs.
PV: Thank you!
In June 2012, the United Nations declared March 20th as International Happiness Day. To date, 193 member states, including Vietnam, have committed to supporting, acting, and making greater efforts to build a world of harmony, improve the quality of life, build a just society, achieve sustainable development, and bring happiness to humanity. International Happiness Day carries the message: Balance and harmony are among the keys to happiness.
In Vietnam, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2589/QD-TTg on December 26, 2013, approving the Project "Organizing activities on International Happiness Day, March 20th annually" to continue implementing the goal of developing social welfare, building prosperous, progressive, and happy Vietnamese families; raising awareness throughout society about International Happiness Day, thereby taking concrete and practical actions to build happy families and happy communities for Vietnamese people; and calling for cooperation and assistance from organizations and individuals inside and outside the country for activities on International Happiness Day.
