Promote swimming, prevent drowning

The situation of drowning accidents among children and students in the province is complicated and tends to increase. Many tragic drowning accidents have taken the lives of many students. Since mid-March 2025, the whole province has had 7 students die from drowning. Faced with this situation, many parents have paid attention and sent their children to swimming lessons in increasing numbers, contributing to drowning prevention.

Parents are increasingly interested in taking their children to swimming pools to learn safe swimming skills. In the photo: Coach of Phu Yen Basketball and Swimming Center teaches swimming to students. Photo: NGUYEN TAN

Enhance swimming learning

In recent days, every early morning or late afternoon, at the swimming pools of Duy Tan High School, Phu Yen Youth Activity Center (Tuy Hoa City), Ngoc Tung (Dong Hoa Town) ..., there are quite a lot of parents taking their children to learn to swim. Ms. Le Thi Ha (Ward 9, Tuy Hoa City) shared: “Recently, following the information on the news, I see that the drowning situation among students is becoming more and more complicated. Many children who do not know how to swim gather to play, bathe in ditches, rivers and streams, leading to tragic drowning. To equip my children with swimming skills, from the end of May until now, every morning I take my two children, the older one in grade 6, the younger one in grade 4, to learn to swim at the swimming pool of Phu Yen Youth Activity Center. After 10 days of swimming lessons, the children have learned to tread water and know how to swim the frog stroke. I will continue to let them learn to swim until they can swim well.”

At some swimming pools in Tuy An district, Dong Hoa town..., many children are enthusiastically instructed by teachers on swimming skills such as: safe swimming techniques; floating; holding onto buoys, kicking legs, arms, breathing; self-defense skills, self-rescue when having an accident in the water... Tran Van Loi, a 6th grader at Tran Hung Dao Secondary School (Dong Hoa town), shared: "After nearly half a month of swimming lessons at Ngoc Tung swimming pool, I now know how to swim freestyle, but not as fast as my older siblings. I will try to swim really well."

Every year, from March to the end of summer vacation, many drowning accidents occur. Therefore, right from the beginning of the school year, the Department of Education and Training has issued many documents directing units and schools to strengthen measures to prevent drowning for children and students. The Department of Education and Training also requires units and schools to continue to promote propaganda andeducation to raise students' awareness of how to recognize the risk of drowning and knowledge and skills to prevent it; organize instruction for students on safe drowning rescue skills, and prevent unfortunate collective drowning incidents from occurring.

Deputy Director of Department of Education and Training Pham Huy Van

Not only do parents proactively register their children for swimming courses, many parents who do not know how to swim also participate in swimming lessons. At Duy Tan High School swimming pool, every morning, Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Thao in Ward 5 (Tuy Hoa City) arrives very early to warm up and practice swimming. Ms. Ngoc Thao shared: “I have been learning to swim for over a month now and know how to swim the frog style. To improve my swimming, I practice every day according to the teacher's instructions to swim with the right technique and faster speed. Thanks to maintaining swimming, I feel healthier and have less joint pain than before.”

Drowning Prevention

To prevent drowning accidents, during the summer, some schools proactively raise funds and coordinate with parents to organize swimming and drowning prevention classes for students. Mr. Le Hoang, Principal of Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary School (Tay Hoa District) said: “This is the third consecutive year that the school has organized swimming and drowning prevention classes for students. This year, the school continues to organize the opening of the first swimming skills class on June 13 and the second class in early July 2025. For each class, the school organizes 15 days of swimming lessons for students to grasp skills and safe swimming techniques; practice floating underwater and self-defense and self-rescue skills when encountering accidents in water.”

According to many parents, letting their children learn to swim is not only to equip them with swimming skills and self-protection skills in case of accidents in the water, but also to help them train physically, develop their stature and create conditions for them to have a safe summer playground. Therefore, from the beginning of summer, the number of parents bringing their children to register for swimming lessons is increasing day by day.

Mr. Nguyen Nhu Tan, swimming coach of Phu Yen Basketball and Swimming Center said: “Recently, the center has organized swimming and basketball classes for hundreds of students from 6 to 18 years old in Tuy Hoa City. The center has just recruited 50 students of all ages to join swimming classes. For those who are new to swimming, we organize classes in basic swimming techniques of breaststroke and crawl. For those who already know how to swim but want to learn advanced skills, we continue to teach them so that they can develop their skills and strengths.” According to Mr. Tan, every year in the summer months, the center organizes swimming classes for hundreds of children in Tuy Hoa City, thereby contributing to reducing drowning accidents.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/the-thao/202506/tang-cuong-hoc-boi-phong-ngua-duoi-nuoc-8e91a14/