Fly high with your family at Diamond Island- Kite festival this weekend

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The lack of playgrounds for children has become a serious problem for many families in Vietnam. Many existing facilities do not meet the standards for children’s entertainment activities. At the same time, more children are being heavily drawn to entertainment on digital devices. They become inactive and prefer to stay indoors, sticking to the tiny screen instead of going out and interacting with others.

Shocking numbers

A recent study has showed that few children these days have interest in or care about having fun outdoors. The survey on 12,000 pairs of parents in many countries including Brazil, India, the U.K., the U.S. and Vietnam about children’s playing habits came with some concerning figures.

For example, 56 percent of children in the survey spend less than 60 minutes a day playing outside. Some parents said their children would refuse to go outside unless they can bring digital devices along.

Children are not excited about playing outdoors unless they have digital devices.

A consequence of the lack of physical activities is that Vietnam has the highest rate of children with diabetes in Southeast Asia. The ratio of overweight and diabetes children in Ho Chi Minh City has surged around four times in the past seven years.

Being addicted to digital devices has also strained the children’s eyes and caused more young children to suffer from myopia, or nearsightedness.

According to statistics from the National Institute of Ophthalmology, around three million children in Vietnam have refractive errors and two thirds of them are nearsighted. Urban children account for 30-35 percent of those with poor vision. There are also psychological effects linked to a lack of social interaction and more use of digital devices.

The causes of children’s social disengagement

The lack of playgrounds exclusive for children is the biggest factor pushing children to stay indoors and detach themselves from outdoor activities.

In Vietnam, more than 7,000 children in Hanoi only have 2,200 public playgrounds. Ho Chi Minh City has some popular children destinations such as the Saigon Zoo, Dam Sen and Suoi Tien Theme Parks. But only the first is in the city center while Suoi Tien is nearly 20 kilometers away. Downtown public parks in HCMC such as Le Van Tam, Le Duan or Gia Dinh do not have a lot of exclusive space for children or activities that enhance their social interaction.

At some places, playgrounds for children are poorly equipped. So there is little chance that the children can get access to an ideal playground to play the traditional games.

The children’s corner next to toilet rooms has been deteriorating at Tao Dan Park, Ho Chi Minh City

Also, many parents are afraid that their children will get sick from dirty soil or trash, which is also a factor that keeps their children indoors.

Kite Festival 2016 at Diamond Island - Give your children wings to fly

The lack of green and clean spaces with healthy and fun activities for the children is an undeniable fact in Ho Chi Minh City. The problem has caused many to be addicted to digital devices and abstain from physical activities, which will lead to more serious health problems. Children need to be encouraged to join outdoor activities for full mind-and-body development.

The upcoming kite festival at Diamond Island in District 2 is a special occasion for families to create great memories.

Given the situation and as a support for families looking for a safe and peaceful place to live and have fun, Diamond Island - a premium condominium project - has partnered with District 2 People’s Committee in HCMC to organize the Kite Festival 2016 on the island.

Diamond Island is the only island in the city center with a lot of green space, covering 86.5 percent of its area, well-invested public facilities, three of its sides surrounded by the river and a panoramic view of the river and the city center. It is proud to bring families a new way of living, in a safe, healthy environment of luxurious standards.

“Diamond Island- Kite Festival 2016 - Give your children wings to fly” is a chance for children and their families to have a lot of fun and great memories with traditional games. Colorful kites flying in the sky will give parents a ticket to travel back to their childhood for a moment.