Drowning kills some 2,000 young children in Vietnam each year, making it among 10 leading causes of accidental death for kids, Dang Hoa Nam, head of the Department of Children’s Affairs under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, told a child drowning prevention event held in Hanoi on Saturday.

The two-day event, which was launched in response to the World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25), is aimed at raising the awareness of child drownings and popularizing drowning prevention measures and water safety skills.

Speaking at the event, Angela Pratt, representative from the World Health Organization (WHO), said that over 236,000 people drown worldwide every year.

“Vietnam is one of the nations with high child drowning rates in the world,” she said.

The Southeast Asian country should focus on getting kids involved in swimming lessons to keep them safe in water, according to the WHO representative.

Over the past few years, the number of children dying from drowning in Vietnam has trended down, Nam said, adding that nearly 100 kids are saved from drowning each year.

“The highest risk of drowning is when children frolic on beaches and splashing in pools, lakes and rivers,” said Nam.

“Therefore, we should heighten drowning prevention by teaching kids how to swim and equip them with basic water safety skills."

Aside from acting as a playground for families to experience games related to water safety, the child drowning prevention event is expected to provide parents with information about drowning prevention and steps to keep their children out of harm’s way.

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