Many parents are sending their children to military summer camps in the hope they will learn life skills and discipline in a safe environment.
A mother in Hanoi's Gia Lam District, named Mai, said she is sending her eight-year-old son to a 10-day military course, and the boy is excited that he will, for a while, "join the army."
Another mother, named Thuy, of Phu Thuong Ward in Hanoi's Tay Ho District, said she found it hard last year sending her then nine-year-old son to a summer military course far from home, but thinks that it was a good decision.
Thuy said her son was initially shocked by what was expected of him at the camp and wanted to come home. Conditions were tough. He had to bathe in cold water and sleep in a room without air conditioning.
But after a few days, he told her he was enjoying it and had made new friends. Thuy said that after the camp he began helping around the house, washes up his own dishes, tidies his room and is more self-reliant.
Some parents worry their children will be unable to cope with living in hard conditions, but the activities they engage in give them new experiences from which to learn.
A mother, named Phuong, who works at a centre specialising in military courses for students, said that, in Vietnam, many children aged from eight to 14 are overprotected, and parents worry the camps will be too hard for their children.
Students are not allowed to bring mobile phones or electronic devices, and parents cannot visit without permission of the organising board, but they learn to feel secure about the safety of their children, who are being cared for by military personnel and experienced volunteers.
Nguyen Quoc Thang , of the Vietnam Youth Academy, said the school was now in its third year of offering summer camps with Regiment 50 in Do Son Town, Haiphong City. The VND6m courses teach survival skills, communications, teamwork, provide physical training, and help children learn to take care of themselves.
