Helping children prevent drowning.

TP - A student in Cua Lo calmly escaped a rip current. A group of students in the border region of Tam Thai rescued a friend using a plastic can and a tree branch. Behind these life-saving situations is the silent companionship of soldiers in green uniforms in Nghe An, on a journey to help children learn to protect themselves from water hazards.

He narrowly escaped death thanks to knowledge gained from the awareness campaign.

In mid-May, Nguyen Van Nam (14 years old, a junior high school student in Cua Lo ward) and some friends went to a small beach about 200 meters from where the lifeguards were stationed to swim. While playing in the water, they were suddenly swept away by a rip current more than 20 meters from the shore. It was a situation that would have caused panic even among adults.

Officers and soldiers of the Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Port Border Guard Station conduct a drowning prevention awareness campaign for students. Photo: PV

But instead of trying to swim against the current to find his way to shore, Nam recalled the knowledge he had learned during a drowning prevention awareness session organized earlier by the Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Port Border Guard Station.

Nam loudly reassured his friends, guiding them to swim parallel to the shore to escape the current, then float and signal for help. Thanks to their composure and physical strength, they managed to hold out until the emergency response team spotted them and came to their rescue in time.

Officers from the Tam Hop Border Guard Station instruct students on water safety skills. Photo: PV

Major Luong Hong Quan, Deputy Head of Operations at the Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Border Guard Post, stated that the unit's area of ​​responsibility has a 26km long coastline with two estuaries and many seaside tourist areas. Every summer, the number of locals and tourists flocking to the beach for recreation and swimming increases significantly, leading to increased water safety risks, especially for children and teenagers.

What worries the border guards is that in coastal areas, many children learn to swim at a very young age but lack the necessary safety skills. "They may be able to swim quite well, but they don't recognize areas with strong currents, they don't know how to float to conserve energy in case of an emergency, and they often instinctively jump in to save a friend in distress," Major Quan shared.

"The soldiers didn't just talk theory; they brought models, ropes, and lifebuoys to the schoolyard to provide guidance. Many children have learned to protect themselves and remind each other not to swim in dangerous areas."

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Ms. Phan Thi Thu Hai - Principal of Nghi Thuy Secondary School (Cua Lo, Nghe An )

Based on this reality, the Cua Lo - Ben Thuy Port Border Guard Station regularly coordinates with schools to organize extracurricular activities and raise awareness about preventing drowning; cooperates with local authorities to place warning signs in dangerous areas; and maintains the "Border Guard Loudspeaker" model to remind residents and tourists during peak season.

During the awareness sessions, the part that most interested the students was practicing first aid skills for drowning victims and indirect rescue methods using ropes, floats, or other buoyancy devices instead of directly jumping into the water. Many students practiced chest compressions, artificial respiration, and handling simulated situations for the first time under the guidance of military medical officers and Border Guard youth union members.

Ms. Phan Thi Thu Hai, Principal of Nghi Thuy Secondary School, said that previously, the locality was always worried every summer because many students in the coastal area were very active and often spontaneously went to the beach to swim. However, since the close cooperation with the Border Guard Station in organizing visual and lively awareness campaigns, the students' awareness has changed significantly.

From lessons by the stream

While children in Cua Lo grow up alongside the sea, in Tam Thai commune, the lives of many children are closely tied to the streams and the Lam River. These streams are integral to the daily lives of people in this border region, but they also pose many dangers to children, especially during the rainy season and floods.

According to the Tam Hop Border Guard Station, this area has many villages located along the Lam River, along steep streams with fast-flowing water from the upstream areas. “Our biggest concern is that many children have to be independent from a young age. There are times when parents go to work in the fields for many days, and the children take care of themselves, frequently coming into contact with rivers and streams but lacking adult supervision and management,” shared Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thi Huong, a professional military officer and community outreach officer at the Tam Hop Border Guard Station.

Based on that reality, every year the unit coordinates with the local Youth Union, schools, and relevant forces to organize communication campaigns on drowning prevention for students at schools and in areas along streams and rivers; at the same time, they put up warning signs, distribute leaflets, conduct awareness campaigns on social media, and donate life jackets to students.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Huong, the method that students have embraced most positively and that yields the most noticeable results is visual communication combined with practical fieldwork. Instead of just listening to theory, students are guided to identify dangerous areas, practice using life jackets, and learn how to handle drowning situations.

The effectiveness of those lessons was clearly demonstrated by an incident that occurred in June 2025 in Xop Nam village. That day, a group of four students aged 10 to 12 went to play in the stream. While they were bathing in the shallow water, a sudden surge of water from upstream, following a rainstorm in the deep forest, swept one of them away from the safe area and into the deeper water.

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However, instead of jumping in to save their friend, the children remembered what they had been taught in the drowning prevention training program. One quick-thinking child ran to get a plastic container and a dry branch nearby and threw them to their friend to grab onto. The others remained calm and called for adults to help. Thanks to this, the student in distress was able to grab onto a floating object and was brought safely to shore.

According to Ms. Lo Thi Hoai Giang, Secretary of the Tam Thai Commune Youth Union, in 2025 and the first six months of 2026, the Commune Youth Union and the Tam Hop Border Guard Station, along with several other units, coordinated to organize five drowning prevention awareness campaigns for 648 students; and also erected two warning signs in areas at risk of drowning…

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Source: https://tienphong.vn/cung-tre-phong-chong-duoi-nuoc-post1850098.tpo