Photo essay

Playground and Recreation

A photo essay by Youth in Da Nang city

Group 4, Street Urban Photography Training Workshop for Youth in Da Nang

Girl playing in the park — UNICEF Viet Nam

English
Tiếng Việt

17 July 2024

The world and lives are changing dramatically. This is also the case in Viet Nam, with society developing rapidly leading to significant changes in the recreation activities of young people. Ten years ago, entertainment mostly centred on outdoor activities with traditional games in nature. Nowadays, the story has changed with a new chapter opened, science and technology are advancing rapidly, electronic devices are gradually dominating the recreation world of children.

Two boys are on their phone when sitting at a football court — UNICEF Viet Nam Phan Gia Huy, Dao Tuan Kiet (both 14 years old) went to the playground in Thanh Khe district, Da Nang city on July 4, 2024 to play soccer. But in fact, the two of them ended up on the phone. They said that although the playground is large, it lacked facilities for sports activities.

So why are children attracted to electronic devices so much and gradually losing interest in outdoor games? Sports grounds are limited, and not large enough or in good condition to play in. As a result, more convenient entertainment such as social networks and video games are taking over.

Two girls playing in the park — UNICEF Viet Nam Tue Lam (8 years old, right), Tue Linh (3 years old), went to 29/3 Park, Da Nang city on July 5 with their mother, who said the park is spacious and allowed her children to run and play comfortably together. However, she also remarked that the facilities were not in good condition nor diverse.

Girl and her dad playing in the park — UNICEF Viet Nam Tuong Vy (8 years old), went to 29/3 Park, Da Nang City on July 5 with her father. “Although Dad is busy with work, he still arranges time to take me out to play”. The father finds the park cool and comfortable. Despite being the largest public playground in the city, there are few games and the facilities are degraded.

An abandoned ride at the park — UNICEF Viet Nam The degradation of attractions at 29/3 Park in Da Nang is apparent as many are no longer in operation after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two boys playing basketball — UNICEF Viet Nam Le Thanh Luan and Tran Anh Sinh, 17 years old, played basketball together at 29/3 Park on July 5, 2024. “We went to 29/3 Park in Da Nang city to play basketball. The playground is friendly and comfortable. In my opinion, there is still a lack of playgrounds like this in Da Nang.”

Two boys on a train ride in the park — UNICEF Viet Nam Nhat Minh (6 years old, left) and Nhat Hoang (3 years old) were traveling with their families, and their parents chose 29/3 Park for the whole family to visit. However, they reported that the park was hot and sunny and there were few suitable games for the children.

Through this essay, we hope that Da Nang City will pay more attention to children. Firstly, we would love to see the renovation of existing facilities that are damaged and degraded. In addition, the city should build more free-of-charge recreation areas for children and sports fields, and highlight the harmful effects of spending too much time in virtual spaces, using electronic devices, and the long-term benefits of teenagers engaging in healthy sports and entertainment.

Two girls playing at a park — UNICEF Viet Nam “Our house is opposite the park, so we often come here to play. The playground is spacious and airy. The toys here are very new, including slides, merry-go-rounds, swings, and many other things. Early in the morning, there are also uncles and aunts coming to exercise with the installed equipment. Before, this was an empty land but now it has been built into this wonderful amusement park for us,” said Nguyen Doan Nhat Thu, aged 12 years old, who joined Doan Thao Nhi, aged 11 years , to play at the park near their home on July 5, 2024.

Playground and Recreation

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