According to the clip shared on social media, a child accidentally threw his sandal into a water valve, causing water to spray continuously for many hours, severely damaging the elevator system. The building management board estimates that the replacement cost could be up to more than 2 billion VND.
Public opinion divided into many opinions: Some people think that bad children are inevitable, parents cannot be forced to "carry" too much money. But many people have complained: The law clearly stipulates that parents must compensate for damages caused by minors and this is also a lesson for the responsibility to educate and manage children.
The law does not allow this responsibility to be "exposed". Article 74 of the 2014 Law on Marriage and Family clearly states: Parents must compensate for damages caused by minors. Clause 2, Article 586 of the 2015 Civil Code also affirms: People under 15 years old who cause damage and parents must compensate for all damages. This obligation cannot be denied with the reasons of "the children don't know what they know".
The law also opens up flexibility. The principle of compensation for damages (Article 585 of the 2015 Civil Code) allows consideration of mitigating factors: If the damage exceeds the economic capacity of the family, if the fault arises from unintention, or if the damaged party is partly responsible for the incident. In this incident, public opinion is reasonable when pointing out the responsibility of the building management board: Why is the water flowing for hours but no one is prompt to handle it? That delay clearly caused more damage.
But anyway, parents are still the final "support". Children are not fully aware of the consequences of their behavior, and need strict family management. Letting children play freely, even play in public areas, is a sign of educational laxity. In other words, compensation responsibility is only a legal consequence; while the moral responsibility of parents is something society cares about.
Many people defend that active children are inherently "natural". But that initiative needs to be disciplined and guided so as not to turn into dangerous behavior. Parents cannot be indifferent in both caring for and waiting for society to suffer the consequences. A water valve or a broken elevator can be converted into money; but what if it is someone's life? At that time, the lack of supervision of parents can lead to irreparable disasters.
The incident in Kim Van - Kim Lu therefore rang the alarm bell: Parents need to be aware of their responsibility to manage their children, not only to avoid legal trouble but more importantly, to protect their children from consequences beyond their control. Children need to be taught life skills, learn about the boundaries of behavior that are not harmless entertainment, and which actions can harm the community.
At the same time, the incident also requires the management board of buildings and residential areas: The safety, fire prevention and fighting system must be protected by technical mechanisms (taking photos, locking safety), cannot be kept within reach of children. Because prevention is always cheaper than treatment.
In a civilized society, responsibility does not stop at "who pays". It requires a fair attitude: Parents take their share of responsibility, the management board cannot let go. More importantly, the community needs to consider this as a general lesson, any behavior, even that of a child, can have serious consequences. And only the attention, education, supervision from the family combined with a safe management environment can help prevent the "unfortunate incidents" as recently.
