In recent years, summer course and summer camp services for students have flourished, in many diverse forms to meet the increasing needs of parents in big cities.
Activities in summer camp often include: learning communication skills, working in groups, being independent in personal activities, cooking, managing time, problem solving, leadership skills, and many other practical experiences.
In addition, experience courses such as military summer camp, fire fighting summer camp or life skills training have also become the choice of many parents.
Previously, summer camp in Vietnam mainly revolved around simple entertainment and recreation activities, such as a "young facial" class during the summer vacation. But now, the picture has completely changed.
According to Lao Dong reporter's research, at a private educational institution in Cau Giay, the number of students registering for summer camp is up to more than 2,000 students, mainly primary school students. 6 floors of a building full of classes and skills teaching, from Math, Literature, English to chess, aerobics, dancesport... The cost of boarding for 1 month includes 2 main meals (morning, lunch) and 1 extra meal of 10 million VND.
Another center in Dong Da opened a summer camp with a lack of art at a price of up to 4 million VND/week. Explaining the quite high price, the owner of the facility said that the young students will eat 2 main meals and 1 extra meal, provided with artwork and lecturers to organize activities that change every day. 2-month summer camp courses can cost up to 20 million VND.
When the reporter asked about the quite high price for the boarding course, the owner of the summer camp in Dong Da thought that such a price was reasonable. This person explained that the center in the middle of a crowded area in Hanoi has a clean kitchen and diverse living programs.
Ms. Ngoc Mai (Dong Da, Hanoi) has a daughter (grade 7) and a son (grade 5) who attend the summer camp every year. She usually takes her children to a summer camp to experience for a few days, then takes a summer camping trip in the center of Hanoi.
Regarding the story of the summer camp in Lang Ha Hac that has caused a stir in public opinion in recent times, Ms. Ngoc Mai said she sympathized because her children had participated in short-term experience courses and lived in more deprived conditions at home.
She felt upset because the organizers did not ensure clean housing and good living conditions for her children, causing many children to go to summer camp and suffer from dermatological diseases, affecting their psychology.
The incident of Lang Ha Huuc being accused by parents of being unsanitary and having poor management in recent days has caused many people to "disillusion" with the interesting and useful image of the summer camp that this unit advertised.
Sharing with Lao Dong, media crisis management expert Nguyen Tung Lam noted that for summer camp, communication is not only about "rooming information" but also building trust. A mother sends a child to a unit, meaning they are trusting that unit as an extension of their family.
The most important thing for a summer camp organizer is not the communication skills, but the core value they can bring to children. Communication is not a spiritual chopsticks that can solve all mistakes and solve difficult situations, but must be the people who take on those tasks, by not letting them happen from the beginning.
