Children study swimming at a swimming pool in Vĩnh Long Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Thuý Hằng

VĨNH LONG — Vĩnh Long Province is opening many free swimming lessons for children during this summer vacation to reduce the risk of drowning accidents.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has a dense river and canal network, and this poses a risk for children who can not swim, especially during the summer vacation when they go out to play and are exposed to water.

To prevent and control drowning accidents, the province’s Youth Union and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and relevant agencies have organised many free swimming classes for children and implemented advocacy activities to enhance public awareness about protecting children from injuries and drowning accidents.

This summer vacation, the department has granted funds for localities to organise 52 free swimming classes for nearly 1,600 children.

Phan Hồng Hạnh, its deputy director, said: “The major reason for child drowning accidents relates to the awareness of drowning danger and risk. Therefore, advocacy activities to enhance awareness of people who take care of children should be strengthened.”

The province has many households living near rivers, canals and ponds, and adults should be taught about child drowning and provided skills to take care of children better, according to Hạnh.

The province has organised diversified swimming classes taught in registered swimming pools, temporary composite swimming pools, rivers and canals.

It has 30 registered swimming pools.

At the Loan Mỹ B Primary School in Tam Bình District’s Loan Mỹ Commune, the district’s Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Youth Union is opening a swimming class for 40 students.

The school does not have a swimming pool, so the students are taught swimming skills in the river in front of the school.

Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, who teaches swimming at the school, said: “The class aims to provide the students swimming skills and self-protection techniques in a water environment, especially preventing drowning accidents.”

Huỳnh Ngọc Thịnh, a student in the swimming class, said when she went into the river for the first time she was scared and did not dare to swim.

“Thanks to swimming teachers, I can now float on the water, swim and dive. I will try to study swimming better to secure my safety when exposed to river and water environments,” she said.

In Trà Ôn District’s Hoà Bình Commune, the district’s Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Youth Union is holding a swimming class for 50 students.

They rent a swimming pool and encourage swimming teachers and Youth Union members to participate in teaching swimming and safety skills to the students.

Trần Thị Hải Yến in Hoà Bình has two children but they can not swim and she worries about this, so she let them join the class.

“The class is very useful. I hope there will be classes like this in the following years so children can have a playground during the summer vacation, to exercise and develop their swimming skills," she said.

Đinh Văn Giàu, deputy secretary of the Trà Ôn Youth Union, said the district would mobilise various sources to open more classes of swimming and self-protection skills to help children have useful and fun summer vacations.

The province has had 13 cases of children drowning so far this year, according to the department. — VNS