Thánh Gióng playground aims to create a friendly, safe, inclusive and accessible space where children of all abilities can play, learn and interact together. Photo tapchikientruc.com.vn

HÀ NỘI - Thánh Gióng inclusive playground has been formally opened at the Giám Garden located on the west side of the Văn Miếu Literature Temple.

This is the first large-scale playground that Think Playgrounds and the Văn Miếu-Quốc Tử Giám Centre for Cultural Activities have collaborated on, with sponsorship from the New Zealand Embassy and aimed at increasing accessibility of people with disabilities to green community areas in Hà Nội.

The heritage site in the Đống Đa District has a severe lack of public spaces suitable for community activities, so this project also aims to raise public awareness of the importance of uniquely designed play spaces combined with culturally important relics, in order to make urban areas more creative and sustainable.

The project aims to create a friendly, safe, and accessible space where children of all abilities can play, learn and socialise together.

The playground was inaugurated on the International Day of Play on June 11 approved by the UN General Assembly’s resolution initiated by Việt Nam and co-sponsored by 138 countries.

New Zealand is committed to supporting people with disabilities in Việt Nam, ensuring they can participate equally in society, according to Caroline Beresford, New Zealand ambassador to Việt Nam.

“We are confident that the Thánh Gióng playground renovation project will contribute to creating more inclusive and universally accessible public spaces in Hà Nội and other localities in Việt Nam," said the ambassador. 

"The fact that the playground is located within the Temple of Literature complex, where many initiatives have already been implemented to ensure universal access, is very special."

The playground features a variety of play structures designed to meet the diverse physical, psychological and sensory needs of all children, with a special focus on those with disabilities and their carers.

Enhancements include wheelchair ramps, safer swings and slides, handrails, sensory elements like wind chimes and colours, wheelchair-accessible tables and chairs, quiet spaces and a book corner.

The playground has also been supplemented with a talking file, scanned via a QR code, helping to describe each play area and how to play there safely.

"Hopefully there will be more similar models widely deployed," said Vũ Thị Lan Hương, president of Association of People with Disabilities in Đống Đa. "These inclusive playgrounds will provide opportunities for people with disabilities to have fun, interact and integrate into the community."

Think Playgrounds is a Hà Nội-based non-profit organisation working on many projects such as recycled playgrounds, community gardens, ecological parks and community artworks. 

The playground model is one of their efforts to localise playground designs so that they tell Vietnamese stories and are made by Vietnamese people using materials sourced and produced in Việt Nam. - VNS