Hanoi launches campaign against drowning
He makes efforts to support children’s swimming lessons, suggesting subsidies and reduced fees for pool access and training.
THE HANOI TIMES — The city’s launch of the Swimming Exercise for Drowning Prevention campaign has attracted the participation of nearly 2,000 officials, schoolchildren, students, and local people.
Pham Xuan Tai, Deputy Director of Hanoi's Department of Culture and Sports, speaks at the launch of the event on May 17.
The event, organized in Son Tay Town on May 17 by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports in partnership with the Son Tay People’s Committee, aims to call for the engagement of people in swimming exercise to prevent drowning.
Addressing the event, the Department’s Deputy Director Pham Xuan Tai said Hanoi has launched a citywide swimming program to prevent drowning, offering free swimming classes and water safety training. The program aims to equip students with essential swimming skills while providing instruction on drowning prevention and rescue techniques.
In 2024 alone, the city organized 398 swimming classes for 52,588 children, with 96.6% knowing how to swim.
The campaign attracts a large number of schoolchildren.
Drowning remains a thorny issue in Vietnam, with nearly 2,000 children under 16 dying from drowning from 2015 to 2020, placing the country among those with the highest child drowning rates in Southeast Asia. The drowning rate in rural areas is four times higher than in urban areas. In Hanoi, particularly in suburban districts, children continue to swim in natural bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, and rivers, exposing them to significant risks.
To strengthen the campaign, Pham Xuan Tai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, called for intensified efforts across all districts and departments. He urged local authorities to prioritize summer swimming programs at public pools and to provide comprehensive training for instructors in safe swimming and water rescue techniques.
He also advocated for policies to make swimming lessons more accessible to children, including subsidies or fee waivers for pool access and lessons. He emphasized the importance of public outreach, urging localities and schools to maintain regular swimming classes and promote water safety awareness.
“I encourage all citizens, particularly young people and students, to engage in regular physical activity, especially swimming,” Tai said. “Learning basic drowning prevention skills not only enhances health and physical fitness but also helps individuals protect themselves and assist others in emergency water situations.”
Children and adults join swimming lessons at the event.
The annual event helps raise awareness about drowning prevention, promoting swimming as a life-saving skill, and encouraging greater participation in physical fitness activities.
At the launch ceremony, nearly 2,000 teachers, students, and workers in Son Tay Town received training in essential swimming techniques and rescue skills to prevent drowning.
The program is very helpful for locals.
