Doan Thu Huyen, country director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, was speaking about Vietnam’s progress at the World Drowning Prevention conference held in Egypt on Nov. 21.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health used to report more than 3,000 child drowning deaths every year before 2015, and that number has declined over the years to now stand at around 2,000.

“The steady decline in drowning deaths reflects the positive impact of intervention programs implemented over the past seven years,” Huyen said.

Vietnam launched a child-drowning prevention program in 2018 with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, providing swimming lessons and basic water safety training to children in the provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri and Da Nang City.

The program initially targeted 50,000 children, but by 2025 more than 63,000 are expected to receive free swimming lessons and over 80,000 to be trained in water safety skills.

In program areas, the percentage of children who can swim has increased from 14% to more than 32%, and drowning deaths have reduced by 16%.

But drowning remains one of the leading causes of death among Vietnamese children.

Children aged five to 14 make up the highest number of victims, with many coming from disadvantaged households and the mortality rate among boys being twice that of girls.

But experts at the conference said Vietnam only records drownings that result in death and leaves out non-fatal drownings, and so long-term impacts such as neurological damage and disability are difficult to assess.

The World Health Organization said some 300,000 drowning deaths occur globally each year, most involving children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries and a preventable public health crisis.

Experts said limited awareness among families, communities and society is a key factor behind child drownings in Vietnam.

Many children cannot swim or lack basic water safety knowledge, and are often unaware of the risks of swimming or playing near rivers.

There is a general lack of swimming facilities and trained instructors, and few schools offer swimming lessons due to a shortage of pools and equipment.

Dinh Anh Tuan, head of the health ministry’s Administration of Maternal and Children’s Affairs, said drowning is a serious risk but preventable with targeted interventions and community involvement.

The ministry launched a national campaign in July to engage authorities, parents and the general public in preventing child drownings, with the campaign focusing on water safety education and improving safe swimming programs in schools and communities.

Vandana Shah, vice president of the U.S.-based Global Health Advocacy Incubator, hailed Vietnam as a global exemplar in implementing drowning-prevention programs.

“We will continue to support Vietnam through technical assistance and encourage authorities to maintain these programs to reduce drowning- deaths.”

At the conference, her non-profit held training sessions for journalists from Vietnam, the U.S., Bangladesh and the Philippines to enhance media involvement in child-drowning prevention.