Summer vacation is an opportunity for children to "relieve" the pressure of studying and freely participate in recreational activities and experiences.
Summer vacation is an opportunity for children to “relieve” the pressure of studying, freely participate in recreational activities, experience, and absorb positive energy. However, as scheduled, this summer, where children go and what to play continues to be a concern and worry for many families.
Summer is coming and I'm worried.
Ms. Thu Huong (Nhat Tan Ward, Tay Ho, Hanoi) shared that she has 2 children, the older one is in 7th grade, the younger one is in 5th grade. From June 1st, the children started their summer vacation, which is also the time when I have to accept letting my children play iPad and watch TV all day. Many times, sitting at the office, I feel anxious about my children staying at home because the internet has too many potential risks that I cannot control. Currently, Nhat Tan Ward only has a few public playgrounds, but they are far from home, so it is even more worrying when the children go out without supervision.
Sharing the same concerns as Ms. Huong, before the end of the school year, many parents have been frantically searching for and registering their children for summer courses to reduce their dependence on electronics. On forums, many people have shared their experiences of finding the most effective summer classes for their children. According to the reporter's research, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, many classes and summer camps were fully booked since the beginning of June.
Hanoi - the city with the highest population density in the country currently has more than 200 playgrounds for children. However, the above number is too small compared to the entertainment needs of young children. Typically, in old collective housing areas in the area such as Kim Lien (Dong Da district), Thanh Xuan (Thanh Xuan district), Nghia Tan (Cau Giay district) ... despite the high population density, there is an extremely lack of land for playgrounds and flower gardens. If there is any, the playground equipment in outdoor playgrounds in collective housing areas is "only beautiful" at first, after a while it deteriorates, rusts, and poses a potential danger to children.
Many public playgrounds are even surrounded by shops, parking lots, and flea markets... The press has repeatedly reported on the situation in the B5, B7, E1, and E3 apartment buildings in Thanh Xuan Bac ward (Thanh Xuan district), where many playgrounds and common spaces have been occupied by residents from early morning to late at night to sell goods, park vehicles, and dry blankets, clothes, etc. In E1 and E3 apartment buildings, in the common playground area, some residents have stretched tarps and occupied much of the playground area to sell goods, leaving no space for children to play.
After the drastic intervention of the authorities, the space became clear again, the encroaching households signed a commitment not to re-offend, and the people and the police force stepped in to monitor so that this situation would not recur.
While public entertainment venues are lacking, paid entertainment services are becoming more and more popular. Entertainment venues with large spaces such as Thu Le Park, Botanical Garden, West Lake Water Park, Bao Son Paradise, Ecopark, and shopping malls all offer entertainment services. However, parents have to pay high fees for children to participate in the games.
According to Ms. Le Quynh Lan - Program and Partnership Manager, Plan International Vietnam, many playgrounds are occupied by adults, making them inaccessible to children. In addition, playgrounds are encroached upon by shops; playgrounds do not ensure safety for children such as lack of lighting, too close to traffic routes without fences. Not to mention playgrounds are far from residential areas, leading to the risk of children being harassed, bullied, and abused; the design of the playground may not be suitable and does not meet the needs of children of different ages...
“The reality of public playgrounds also shows that adults and boys make up the majority, girls want to play but may hesitate because there are very few suitable places to play, with adults playing volleyball in one corner and boys playing soccer or shuttlecock in the other... They say it is a common playground, but whether girls can actually access it or not is another matter,” said Ms. Lan.
Forest park in Chuong Duong ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.
Whose responsibility is it?
It can be said that summer, which is supposed to be an exciting time for children, has become a worry for parents due to the lack of places to play, the lack of people to supervise and manage children... However, the good news is that with the cooperation of community organizations, the story of the lack of playgrounds for children has gradually been resolved. For example, the Think Playgrounds program, after more than 10 years of implementation, has created 240 "zero-cost" playgrounds, spread from North to South. All of these playgrounds carry the message of being environmentally friendly and friendly to people with disabilities.
In Hanoi, there is the Forest Park in Chuong Duong with an area of about 9,000m2. Or playgrounds in Hanoi's apartment buildings such as Phuong Mai, Trung Tu, Ngoc Khanh. Most recently, the Thanh Giong playground at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam...
According to Think Playgrounds Creative Director Nguyen Tieu Quoc Dat, the playground is the most comprehensive learning space for children, where they not only learn actively about physical fitness, psychological balance, group activities, risk management, communication... but also a creative space for them to gain more understanding of traditional culture.
“If history is only conveyed through traditional materials such as books, stories, and films, it is not enough, but it needs to be displayed in public spaces, creating a strong visual impact. Therefore, Think Playgrounds playgrounds will be similar to a work of art, but children can play in it,” Mr. Dat shared.
According to Mr. Dat, in Hanoi, land for public spaces and green spaces is very scarce. However, if we know how to arrange, we can still renovate and utilize public spaces such as abandoned public land and garbage dumps to become community playgrounds. To do this, we need the participation of all levels of government and the joint efforts of the people living in the area.
Sharing the same view, Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Hoa Binh - former Director of the Center for Social Opinion Investigation, Institute of Sociology, said that designing a safe playground for children is not too difficult and not too expensive, but the awareness of children's need for entertainment in many places has not been given due attention by the authorities.
While waiting for the authorities to find a solution, every day many children are still immersed in violent video games in the virtual world. That is the worry that keeps filling the hearts of parents. They worry, but are powerless.
The 2024 “Action for Children” Month has the theme “Practical actions, prioritizing resources for children”, aiming to increase the attention of the whole society in ensuring the implementation of children’s rights, comprehensive development of children, creating a safe, healthy and friendly living environment for children. And one of the important issues in this work is safe play spaces for children.
Think Playgrounds Creative Director Nguyen Tieu Quoc Dat:
Make the community see the need for playgrounds
We always hope that the authorities will continue to pay attention and find the best and fastest solutions to create more public spaces, parks, and playgrounds for children. We also need to make the local community clearly see the benefits and necessity of playgrounds for children, thereby mobilizing community participation. With Think Playgrounds, after completing the construction of parks and playgrounds, we will immediately hand them over to the community and the community will protect, restore, and renovate those playgrounds. We always want and hope to spread community playgrounds for children. So that not only during the summer vacation but also after stressful study hours, children can freely play and have a happy and rewarding childhood.
Dr. Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem - Vice President of Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association:
The implementation still has many unreasonable points.
Regarding the policy and planning for the development of public works and green works on vacant land funds, it is completely correct, however, the implementation method still has many unreasonable points. When it comes to building apartments, any enterprise will undertake it, however, when it comes to building public works and green parks, no one will undertake it. Only when the State management agency closely monitors the development of vacant land funds, will enterprises carry out the construction of public works in a perfunctory and cautious manner, leading to these works having very poor quality.
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