To make summer truly safe for children in mountainous areas.

When the school bell rings to mark the end of the school year, it's also the time for children in mountainous areas to enter their summer vacation. Unlike children in urban areas who have many playgrounds, skills classes, or constant supervision from their families, children in mountainous and rural areas face numerous safety risks from deep streams, natural lakes, and rugged mountainous terrain...

Lakes and streams always pose a risk of drowning for children in mountainous areas.

In many mountainous communes, due to difficult economic conditions, most parents have to work in the fields from early morning until late evening, and the supervision of their children during the summer break almost entirely depends on grandparents or older siblings. With their active and inquisitive nature, many children spontaneously go swimming in streams, catching fish, or playing in dangerous areas without adult supervision.

In recent years, drowning accidents and injuries among children in mountainous areas have continued to occur in some localities, leaving many families heartbroken and worried. According to statistics, in 2025, the entire province recorded 21 child deaths due to drowning; from the beginning of 2026 to date, 3 cases have been recorded.

In addition, during the rainy season, the risk of landslides, flash floods, and mudslides also becomes a constant threat to children in highland villages and hamlets.



The streams are a favorite place for children in the highlands to play and cool off.

The family of Ms. Giàng Thị Sáng in Nậm Khắt village, Púng Luông commune, consists of four members: her husband and two young children. Every summer vacation, the couple is very worried because their house is near a stream, and the parents often have to go to work in the fields, so they can't always keep an eye on the children.

"During summer vacation, with no one to look after them, the children often go to the stream to swim, which worries the family a lot. To ensure their safety, my husband and I constantly remind them not to go to the stream alone or to not go far away," Ms. Sang shared.

In addition to a lack of supervision, many children in mountainous areas also lack essential life skills and accident prevention skills. The majority have not learned to swim, do not know how to handle dangerous situations, or how to escape during natural disasters.

Teacher Dao Trong Giap – Principal of Lao Chai Ethnic Boarding Primary School, said: During the summer break, the school strengthens coordination with village officials to educate parents about ensuring children's safety, preventing them from playing in streams, forests, or dangerous areas, and providing care and guidance for children at home.

Without adult supervision, children are always at risk.

In reality, in mountainous communes, the population is scattered, and while there are many children from preschool to junior high school, the infrastructure is inadequate (there are no centralized playgrounds, no swimming pools, so it is impossible to organize swimming lessons and training in drowning prevention and injury prevention for children). Therefore, children in mountainous areas always face safety risks during the summer.

Specifically, in communes like Púng Luông, there are 5,518 children from preschool to junior high school living in 25 villages, but there are no swimming pools for teaching swimming, and also a lack of venues for organizing summer activities for them.

In response to this situation, local authorities have also intensified efforts to identify areas at risk of accidents, placing warning signs and reminding residents and children to stay away from rivers, streams, and lakes during the rainy season. Villages and hamlets maintain public address systems to regularly disseminate information and warnings about accident risks during the summer.

The terraced rice fields are also a playground for the children.

Mr. Hang A Lu, Secretary of the Youth Union of Pung Luong commune, said: "From the beginning of summer, the Youth Union of the commune had planned to organize many activities for young people in the area. However, due to a lack of facilities, organizing activities and cultural and artistic events for the children could not be done regularly. In addition, out of 25 village-level Youth Union secretaries in the commune, 13 work far away and cannot participate in activities at the grassroots level."

People in the highlands earnestly hope that the local authorities will pay attention to investing in and overcoming difficulties in infrastructure, and allocate more human resources so that children have a centralized place to play, learn life skills, and learn self-protection skills from danger, helping them have safe summers.

Children in the highlands help their families harvest rice.

A safe summer is not only the wish of parents but also a shared responsibility of the entire society. When children are equipped with life skills, given attention, and provided with opportunities to participate in beneficial activities, the risks of accidents and injuries will be gradually reduced, so that each summer will truly be a joyful and meaningful time for children in mountainous areas, instead of the constant worries in their villages.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/de-mua-he-thuc-su-an-toan-voi-tre-em-vung-cao-post900410.html