The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC; ), alternatively the Viet Nam Red Cross Society or the Vietnamese Red Cross Society, is the Vietnamese national affiliation of the

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 191 member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

and domestically a member of the

Vietnam Fatherland Front The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF, alternatively Vietnamese Fatherland Front; ) is constitutionally an integral component in the political structure of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and an umbrella group of mass movements and political coa ...

. The organisation was established during the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...

, and originally had two branches. The Northern branch was established in Hanoi in 1946, and the Southern branch was established by Dr Ho Van Nhut in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

in 1951.Lê Văn Trá. L'oeuvre de la Croix Rouge Vietnamienne – Une longue interview du Dr Hồ Văn Nhựt. L'ami du peuple, Saigon, 26 Juillet 1953. Directeur–Fondateur: Nguyễn Thế Truyền. The Southern branch functioned separately from the Northern Branch and was officially recognized by the

International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

,Véronique Harouel-Bureloup. L'action du CICR en Indochine. Media & Humanitaire. to address the increasing needs for assistance to Vietnamese civilians caught in the conflict between

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and South Vietnam during the

Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between France and Việt Minh ( Democratic Rep ...

and to those affected by

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s. The official name of the organization was Vietnamese Red Cross (VRC), with its headquarters at an avenue in central Saigon named after the organization. The VRC played an important role in the program of aid to the million refugees from North to South Vietnam, following the

Geneva Agreement The Agreement to Resolve the Controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the Frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana, better known as the Geneva Agreement, is a treaty between Venezue ...

in 1954.

References

External links

Vietnam Red Cross ProfileVietnam Red Cross official web site

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

1946 establishments in Vietnam Organizations established in 1946 Medical and health organizations based in Vietnam {{vietnam-stub