How to ensure a healthy and fun summer for students in Vietnam?

As summer vacation approaches in Vietnam, parents are grappling with the perennial question of how to best occupy their children's time. The dilemma centers on finding a balance between academic enrichment, skill development, and essential downtime. Many children are enrolled in numerous summer courses, while others risk excessive screen time. School principals and psychologists are offering guidance to navigate this period. Huynh Thanh Phu, principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School in Ho Chi Minh City, advocates for a reasonable approach to summer learning, focusing on essential subjects rather than overwhelming students. He suggests incorporating English, IT, sports, music, and community activities. Phu also calls for local authorities and communities to create more accessible spaces for children, such as opening school libraries and sports fields for free or low-cost use. This would provide healthy and beneficial opportunities for children within their local areas. Psychologist Thach Tran Bach Long emphasizes the importance of listening to children's preferences. He advises parents to prioritize activities aligning with their child's interests and abilities, allowing for unstructured play and spontaneous exploration. Filling children's schedules too rigidly, Long warns, can lead to fatigue and reduced enthusiasm. He highlights that summer is also a crucial time for family bonding, encouraging parents to engage in shared activities like reading, exercising, or discussing topics of interest with their children. Meeting both developmental and relaxation needs, he believes, fosters a positive and confident mindset for the upcoming academic year. Nguyen Dang Phuc, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Children's House, stresses that children must be allowed to play freely during their summer break.

“

With many generations before, summer was when children visited their grandparents in the countryside, helped their parents with chores, played soccer with friends in dirt fields, and ran around the neighborhood.