Mizuiku in Vietnam: A bright spot in environmental education

VTV.vn - Over the past ten years, the program "Mizuiku - I love clean water" implemented by Suntory PepsiCo has expanded nationwide, sowing awareness in nearly one million students.

From all over the country, Mizuiku has ignited the spirit of learning, spreading awareness of saving water and protecting the environment for future generations, while contributing to improving clean water conditions - a challenge that still exists in Vietnam.

Nurturing knowledge and cultivating consciousness for future generations

"The Mizuiku program is very familiar to primary school students. The content is scientifically compiled, providing both basic knowledge about water resources and suggesting active teaching methods. When applied, I see that students are enthusiastic and self-receptive, and at the same time know how to apply it to save water both at school and at home," - Ms. Ho Thi Ai Chau, teacher at Hiep Tan Primary School (Ho Chi Minh City), shared.

Mizuiku inspires the spirit of initiative, creativity and responsibility for the environment in each child. Nguyen Diep Bao Ha ( Da Nang ) shared: "I like the drawing activity the most because my friends and I can unleash our creativity to learn many useful things. After learning, I know how to turn off the faucet when not in use, use vegetable washing water to water plants and work with my friends to keep the classroom clean and beautiful."

Nguyen Diep Bao Ha won second prize as Creative Explorer in the contest celebrating 10 years of Mizuiku's journey in Vietnam.

These simple sharings reflect how Mizuiku is not only a theoretical lesson in class, but has become a vivid educational content both inside and outside the classroom, contributing to forming awareness and changing behavior in protecting water resources for children from an early age.

The year 2023 marks a milestone when the Mizuiku program is approved to become a core curriculum for primary schools and expanded nationwide, through strategic cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Training. From urban to rural areas, from plains to mountains, Mizuiku has been taught in classrooms across the country, contributing to narrowing the gaps in access to quality education and access to clean water. Vietnam is still facing a major challenge as about 20% of the population, equivalent to nearly 20 million people, do not have access to standard water sources, while only 74.2% of rural households use clean water.

After a decade of implementation, Mizuiku has educated nearly 1 million students, trained 16,000 teachers nationwide, built and renovated nearly 200 clean water facilities for schools, and helped millions of people improve their living conditions. These numbers not only demonstrate the scale of an environmental education program, but also reflect the profound social and humanistic values ​​that Mizuiku brings – nurturing knowledge, cultivating awareness and action for a sustainable future for future generations.

Effective and sustainable public-private partnership model

Mizuiku’s impact in Vietnam is its comprehensive and sustainable curriculum. The program extends beyond classroom lessons to nature, allowing students to experience firsthand and understand the connection between forests, water, and life.

Continuing the success, in 2025, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam cooperated with the Department of Forestry & Forest Protection, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to launch the initiative "Experience nature with Mizuiku" in National Parks, becoming the first educational activity about water resources associated with nature in Vietnam in the form of public-private partnership, nurturing love and awareness of protecting forests and water resources.

The "Experience Nature with Mizuiku" initiative was launched in 2025.

Mr. Pham Hong Luong - Deputy Director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed: "Strategic partnerships in public-private cooperation promote initiatives on forest restoration associated with water resource protection, towards carbon neutrality, are common pillars in the cooperation between the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection and Suntory PepsiCo. If equipped with knowledge combined with experience, students will strengthen their love for nature. Later, they - the future generation - will help Vietnam develop sustainably."

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki emphasized: "The Japanese Government and the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam are proud to accompany and support Mizuiku's activities over the past time. We deeply believe in the meaning of the program: through education, children will learn about the importance of environmental protection and the value of water resources. These lessons will shape the thinking of future generations in protecting the earth."

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki speaks at the ceremony celebrating Mizuiku's 10-year journey in Vietnam

Mr. Manabu Seki - Deputy General Director in charge of sustainable development of Suntory Group Japan, said that Vietnam is a bright spot in the global Mizuiku journey, a driving force for many countries around the world to replicate the program to millions of other children around the world.

Source: https://vtv.vn/mizuiku-tai-viet-nam-diem-sang-trong-giao-duc-moi-truong-100251017143034524.htm