BẮC NINH — Nestlé Việt Nam, through its Nestlé MILO brand, has partnered with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to inaugurate a new swimming pool and launch a pilot swimming programme at Đồng Vương Primary School in Đồng Kỳ Commune, Bắc Ninh Province.

The ceremony was jointly organised by MoET, the Việt Nam School Sports Association, the Bắc Ninh Department of Education and Training, local authorities, the school and Nestlé Việt Nam. The initiative is part of a broader partnership to promote physical education, improve children's swimming and water safety skills and help prevent drowning.

With its extensive rivers, lakes and canals and frequent flooding, Việt Nam continues to face significant child drowning risks. While many children grow up around water, access to formal swimming lessons remains limited, making swimming an essential life skill as well as a sport.

To expand access to safe swimming education, MoET and Nestlé Việt Nam selected several primary schools in Bắc Ninh, including Đồng Vương Primary School, to pilot a new model. Under the 2026 programme, one swimming pool will be newly built, two existing pools will be upgraded and pilot swimming classes will be introduced. The programme also aims to develop effective teaching models that can be replicated nationwide.

Nguyễn Nho Huy, deputy director of MoET's Department of Students' Affairs and Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Việt Nam School Sports Association, said the new swimming pool reflects the shared commitment of Government agencies, social organisations and businesses to investing in children.

A Nestlé Việt Nam representative said the company hopes the pilot programme will provide practical experience that can be expanded by local authorities and schools to help more children learn to swim safely.

The initiative builds on Nestlé Việt Nam's long-term partnership with MoET through Nestlé MILO to encourage active lifestyles and improve children's health and safety. Since 2017, its swimming and drowning prevention programmes have helped expand access to structured swimming education and promote safer, healthier school communities. — VNS