Vice State President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân (centre) and delegates wave symbolic flags in support of the Action Month for Children. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vân

QUẢNG NINH — Investment in children is an investment in the nation’s rapid and sustainable development, said Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân.

Xuân, who is a member of the Party Central Committee and Chairwoman of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) Sponsorship Council, made the statement while attending the launch ceremony for the 2026 Action Month for Children, themed 'Happy, safe children, confident in the digital age'.

The event was co‑organised by the Ministry of Health and the Quảng Ninh Province People’s Committee.

The 2026 Action Month for Children takes place amid Việt Nam’s vigorous push for comprehensive digital transformation. The programme aims to promote a safe, healthy and child‑friendly living environment so that every child can develop physically, mentally, intellectually and digitally.

A range of practical activities will be carried out nationwide, including awareness‑raising communications on child protection, promotion of online safety, support for children in difficult circumstances and prevention of accidents, injuries and drowning.

Speaking at the ceremony, State Vice President Xuân confirmed that the Party and State had paid special attention to the work through many practical policies such as tuition fee waivers and reductions for school pupils; subsidised lunches for boarding pupils; and the establishment of multi‑level boarding schools in border communes.

Humanitarian programmes such as 'Internet and computers for children', 'Beloved schoolbags' and 'Supporting children to go to school' have helped millions of disadvantaged children to progress.

In the context of digital transformation, the Vice President underlined that equipping children with life skills and digital skills for the online environment is an urgent requirement.

This year’s Action Month theme clearly reflects the spirit of Resolution No. 57‑NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, of the Party Central Committee on breakthrough development in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, aiming both to protect children and to help them enhance their digital skills to become a high‑quality workforce in the future.

The Vice President expressed concern that nearly two million children nationwide still live in particularly difficult circumstances or are at risk of falling into such circumstances and do not have full access to conditions for holistic development.

Many children still face the pressures of modern society; problems such as violence, abuse, drowning, accidental injury and natural disasters continue to threaten children’s lives, health, and safety.

In particular, the dark side of the online space and violent behaviours are becoming a new threat to the healthy development of children, the country’s future workforce.

According to Vice President Xuân, digital transformation is an inevitable trend and a major policy of the Party and State to develop the country rapidly and sustainably in the new era. But, Việt Nam cannot allow its 26 million children to enter the digital environment without accompaniment, guidance and safeguards against negative impacts.

She urged all levels of government, sectors and localities to continue building safe, child‑friendly living environments; to complete the legal framework and strictly handle acts of abuse and exploitation; and to pay greater attention to children in remote and ethnic minority areas and difficult circumstances.

At the same time, coordinated measures must be implemented to protect children online, strengthen education in self‑protection skills and develop a healthy digital ecosystem.

Responding to the launch, Nguyễn Thị Hạnh, Deputy Chairwoman of Quảng Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, said the province had always prioritised significant resources for social welfare and children through dedicated policies such as free tuition and support for accommodation and travel costs for pupils from disadvantaged and ethnic minority areas.

During this Action Month, the province is committed to continuing to meet goals on health and education, and to proactively implement measures to prevent drowning and accidental injuries among children.

At the event, Phạm Ngọc Tuệ Linh, a pupil from the Mạo Khê Primary School in Mạo Khê Ward, expressed her wish, shared by many of her peers, that family and society provide more play opportunities and reduce academic pressure, and that there be more safe playgrounds and leisure facilities.

In particular, she wishes to be equipped with key life skills such as swimming, self‑protection and safe use of information technology and the Internet.

Tuệ Linh also appealed for greater attention to children in remote and disadvantaged areas so that all children have the opportunity to develop fully.

Earlier, Vice President Xuân and her delegation visited, awarded scholarships and presented gifts to 54 children being cared for at the Quảng Ninh Provincial Social Assistance Centre. — VNS