2,000 youths drown in Vietnam every year, highest in Southeast Asia

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngo Thi Minh was speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on June 10 to launch a programme aimed at teaching children how to swim and avoid dangers posed by water.

She said every year Vietnam records roughly 2,000 drownings on average – a figure which is the highest in Southeast Asia and eight times higher than that of developed countries.

During the first five months of the year alone, as many as 113 children drowned nationwide, typically as the weather became hotter and children flocked to seas, rivers, and streams to swim.

According to the Deputy Minister, many children drown after falling into lakes or ponds that are not barricaded or lack warning signs. This general lack of guidance and supervision from adults is also one of the main reasons behind drowning.

Furthermore, many young people are not equipped with sufficient swimming skills and lack the competency to help them survive situations that may lead to drowning, Deputy Minister Minh added.

The Ministry of Education and Training has finalised swimming documents including video clips and pamphlets to equip children with basic safety skills when swimming. It has planned to increase communication campaigns in a bid to raise awareness, knowledge, as well as swimming and rescue skills in schools.

It has requested local education departments to organise swimming classes and increase co-ordination between schools and families to manage children during their summer holidays to ensure safety.