Raising awareness of protecting the Red River ecosystem for indigenous children

The program is implemented by Think Playgrounds Vietnam (Social Enterprise Thinking about playgrounds in the city) and a number of relevant units.

With the desire to connect children with nature through art, storytelling and cultural exchange, the event is a space for open dialogue between children and stakeholders, including artists, educators , environmentalists and the community.

Photo caption — Under the guidance of experts, the children observed, felt and expressed their discoveries into 22 diverse works of art.

The exhibition is the result of the program “Creative design with children about the Red River bank ecosystem”, a meaningful activity to connect children with nature through art and education.

Previously, on November 29, 30 children living in Chuong Duong area participated in an exciting field trip along the Red River bank ecological route. Under the guidance of experts, the children observed, felt and expressed their discoveries into 22 diverse works of art. These works not only reflect the beauty of nature but also contain clear perspectives on the living environment around them.

Two works displayed at the event by Nguyen Nguyet Nhi, a 7th grade student at Chuong Duong Secondary School, were inspired by the rich vegetation along the Red River. Nguyet Nhi shared that during the trip, she observed that the Red River and the small canals next to it are currently heavily polluted. Through her works, she wants to send a message to everyone to join hands to protect the river.

Vicky Cave, a creative educator from the UK, was particularly impressed by the personal, creative, and insightful perspectives of the young designers. In the midst of urban life, this activity is like a precious break, helping children temporarily leave the hustle and bustle of daily life to truly immerse themselves and enjoy the peace that nature brings.

The Red River bank has long been considered an important green belt of Hanoi , home to more than 200 native plant species and a resting place for more than 140 wild bird species, many of which are listed in the Red Book. However, under the impact of hydrological change and rapid urbanization, many spaces here are being encroached by spontaneous waste, sewage discharge and illegal bird trapping. Faced with this situation, since 2024, social enterprise Think Playgrounds, together with ecological expert Nguyen Hoang Hao and the local community, have initiated the restoration of a nearly 2km-long ecological route to protect the space for wildlife and provide environmental education.

Ms. Chu Kim Duc, architect of Think PlayGround, said that during more than 4 years of accompanying the Red River bank community, the research team observed that the community space was increasingly enriched. However, the ecological space still has many challenges, a lot of waste and wastewater. Today's exhibition is like a voice, expressing the perspective of more than 30 children after the process of observing the nature of the ecological route, identifying environmental challenges through works of art, telling stories about the environment in a unique way.

Through storytelling, cultural exchange and artistic creation, the program provided children with the opportunity to not only act as observers but also as young designers. From their real-life experiences, they worked together to develop concrete ideas to develop the eco-path into a safe learning and playing space and raise public awareness of urban biodiversity.

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