The Tiên La Commune Youth Union started a tyre rescue initiative to prevent drownings in the area. — VNA/VNS Photo Thế Duyệt

HƯNG YÊN — Each summer, the threat of drowning becomes a major concern, particularly in rural areas.

In response, youth unions at different levels in Hưng Yên Province have launched a series of programmes tailored to local conditions that help protect residents' lives and health, especially for children.

Tiên La Commune covers more than 22.5sq.m and has a population of over 32,800 people.

The locality features an extensive network of rivers, irrigation canals, ponds and lakes interlaced among residential areas.

Facing a high risk of drowning incidents, especially during the summer, the commune's Youth Union rolled out multiple coordinated measures this month, most notably a 'tyre rescue' initiative.

Members of the Youth Union tied used motorbike tyres together with chains, painted them white and red, and formed long ladders of around 10 metres, which they installed along the steep banks of canals, ditches, rivers and ponds.

These provide handholds for people entering and leaving the water, reduce slipperiness and improve safety.

Youths also fastened used 10‑litre plastic bottles to the tyres to create floating life‑rings, which were placed around high-traffic riverbanks and critical points for use in emergencies.

To date, more than 50 sets of rescue floats made from recycled materials have been installed at sites in the commune that are prone to drowning incidents.

Cao Thị Lan, secretary of the Tiên La Commune Youth Union, said the 'tyre rescue' model gained strong approval from local residents because it simultaneously recycled used materials, reducing environmental pollution, and created rescue equipment for emergencies.

Going forward, the Youth Union will assign teams to regularly inspect and maintain the installed floats and will continue producing additional sets.

Bùi Xuân Mão, a resident of Nham Lang Village, described the initiative as an innovative approach suited to local conditions that demonstrates the proactive role of youth union members.

“Since the installation of the tyre rescue devices, residents feel more secure when travelling and working near rivers and canals, and the initiative has helped raise community awareness of drowning prevention,” he said.

Safe summer

To help prevent drowning among children and adolescents, earlier this month the Vũ Thư Commune Youth Union partnered with agencies to hold extracurricular awareness sessions on drowning prevention for students at different educational levels.

The Youth Union has also worked with the provincial 116 Rescue Team to deliver training on water safety and injury prevention skills for young people, and has erected warning signs at deep‑water hazards on ponds, rivers and lakes in the area.

At the end of April, Vũ Thư Commune worked with Đại Thành Long Trading Production Company to launch a programme providing free swimming lessons to nearly 800 fifth graders.

According to Secretary of the Vũ Thư Commune Youth Union Nguyễn Thị Hương, drowning remains one of the principal risks to children’s safety, particularly in rural areas where access to prevention skills is limited.

“Given this reality, equipping children with swimming skills and water safety knowledge is not only necessary but urgent,” she said.

The Youth Union’s activities aim to improve young people’s awareness and skills in drowning prevention, and to warn the community about high‑risk locations so residents can recognise hazards, enhance preventive measures and avoid accidents.

To offer a meaningful summer for children, the Hưng Yên Provincial Youth Union has implemented a range of coordinated activities.

Secretary of the province's Youth Union Thiệu Minh Quỳnh said local branches had been instructed to coordinate with police and other local authorities as well as the education, health, culture, sports and tourism sectors to implement comprehensive measures.

These include organising free or subsidised swimming lessons for disadvantaged children; scaling up models such as Child‑Safe Residential Areas, Safe Summer Activity Centres, mobile pools and smart pools; and promoting the role of volunteer youth teams in supporting and ensuring children’s safety.

The Hưng Yên Provincial Youth Union has identified drowning prevention as a core task of the 2026 Summer Volunteer Youth Campaign.

The union directed all commune and ward youth unions to survey deep‑water and hazardous areas, install warning signs and intensify public awareness campaigns for young people and parents.

Each union member is expected to act as an advocate for child protection and care.

The proactive and creative measures taken by Hưng Yên Province’s youth unions at different levels to conduct drowning prevention solutions have not only helped protect residents’ safety, but also increased responsibility among families to reduce accidents. — VNS