The Da Nang Lifeguard Team, which is under the control of the Management Board of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourism Beaches, has around 90 members divided into 17 groups.  They work on the city’s beaches along the Nguyen Tat Thanh, Hoang Sa, Vo Nguyen Giap and Truong Sa streets.  Every day, they are on duty from 4.30am to 9am, and from 3pm to 7pm, whether it is raining or sunny.

During the peak season, tens of thousands of people go to the local beaches each day to either swim or relax, and so far this year the city’s beaches have welcomed around 3.3 million visitors in total. The team leader, Mr Nguyen Quoc Vinh, remarked that swimming rescue work is a very tough and dangerous job, and the strong passion for lifeguarding is a decisive factor in ensuring a lasting attachment to this kind of job.  He added that over 90 swimmers in distress have been rescued since the beginning of this year, with the majority of cases mainly attributed to rough seas and dangerous currents.

Mr Be besides a lifebuoy

Lifeguard Nguyen Van Be, who was on duty at the T-20 beach, affirmed that human life is invaluable and irreplaceable.  Therefore, he and his fellow lifeguards always make every effort to perform their duties with the highest sense of responsibility to ensure the safety of swimmers, regardless of all the hardships and their low-paid employment.  The devoted man added that he and his teammates always feel very happy when there are no drowning deaths recorded at a local beach where they are on duty at the end of their hard days of work.

After carrying out a rescue, the lifeguards usually give immediate first aid to  bathers and then take them to hospital for further treatment.  The lifeguards will not leave the hospital until the patient has regained consciousness and then they inform the relatives of the incident.  Many of the beachgoers rescued by local lifeguards have sent letters of thanks to the rescuers to show their profound gratitude for their highly meaningful deeds.