With all the time in the world to spare now that schools are closed due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), kids in Ho Chi Minh City are picking up the old-fashioned pastime of kite-flying, face masks and all, to wind away their days.

The kite field near one end of Thu Thiem Bridge in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City has become buzzy over the past few days as parents take their children there to fly kites.

Around 4:30 pm every day for the past weeks, hundreds of brightly colored kites in all shapes and sizes have been spotted hovering over the open land there, creating a lively and poetic atmosphere typical of the area every summer.

Though summer is still months away, children in the southern metropolis have been crowding the kite field as local schools have been closed since February until at least April 5 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Kites in many shapes and sizes hover over a kite field in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, March 2020. Photo: Mai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

It is quite a peculiar sight on the kite field as well because, in addition to kites, each kid is also clad in a must-have accessory amid the epidemic -- a face mask.

“I wear a face mask to avoid the coronavirus,” said Dang Khoi, a third-grader in Phu Nhuan District.

Khoi’s mother told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper she makes time to take her son to the kite field after work for kite-flying for leisure.

“Although I am a bit worried [about going out in public], I made it a point that he must always wear face masks and wash his hands often as recommended by the Ministry of Health,” the mother said.

A boy wearing a face mask (right) reacts while going kite-flying in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, March 2020. Photo: Mai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

A girl wearing a face mask flies a kite at a kite field in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, March 2020. Photo: Mai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

A girl and her father, wearing face masks, fly a kite at a kite field in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, March 2020. Photo: Mai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

Kites in many shapes and sizes hover over a kite field in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, March 2020. Photo: Mai Thuong / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!