As many as 1,000 runners, including 500 children, across the country took part in a relay race against natural disasters and climate changes at Da Nang’s My Khe Beach on Saturday morning.

The relay race attracted the participation of 500 children

In his remarks at the opening ceremony of the relay race, Chief of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control cum Deputy Director of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Vu Xuan Thanh said that under the impact of climate change, natural disasters in Viet Nam are increasingly becoming more serious, complicated and unpredictable, causing heavy loss of life and property and affecting the living environment and socio-economic development activities.

He added, over recent years, the country's natural disaster prevention and control work has changed strongly from passive response to proactive prevention. Aside from building infrastructure for natural disaster prevention and control, strengthening the institutions and the organizational apparatus, and promoting the application of science and technology, Viet Nam has focused on raising public awareness as well as appealing for the whole society in natural disaster prevention, response and recovery.

The relay race was co-organized by the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, United Nations Children's Fund Vietnam (UNICEF Vietnam), and the Da Nang People’s Committee.

Themed ‘For a safe, clean and green Viet Nam for all children’, the sporting event aimed to raise public awareness about natural disaster prevention and control.

It was part of the ‘Together We Act Early’ campaign launched on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13, 2022). The purpose of the campaign is to spread the child-centered orientations in communication activities through raising awareness about disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, creating useful playgrounds, and promoting physical training movements for children and communities nationwide.

“The image of “relay” in the race shows runners’ mutual support and coordination to complete running roads. Similarly, Viet Nam is need of the whole community’s joint efforts in natural disaster prevention and control and climate change adaptation work” Mr. Vu Xuan Thanh explained.

It is known that the race was organized in the forms of online and offline,  drawing much attention from people from all over the country.

The online race, held from November 1 to 30, attracted the participation of 1,000 runners. More than 800 of them ran a total of more than accumulated 153,600km.

Many children competed in the 3km race.

Representatives of the organizing board of the relay race presented prizes to outstanding runners in the 3km race.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by M.DUNG