Vietnam – Swimming to Survive

About 16 people drown on average per day in Vietnam. But this is hopefully about to change.

Vietnam is not only characterised by its more than 3000 kilometres long sea coast, but also by lagoons, rivers and villages surrounded by flooded rice paddies. For generations, this tropical water landscape has led people to live and work largely on the water. For this reason, it is surprising that more than half of Vietnam's population cannot swim. Especially in rural areas, there are few opportunities to take swimming lessons and there is a lack of appropriately trained teachers. The Ministry of Health in Hanoi has now recognised the problem and with the help of international aid organisations free swimming lessons for hundreds of children are organized every year.

The film documents the many reasons for an intergenerational fear of water as well as the impact on families and the social fabric that the children trigger when they break the family spell of not swimming.