Bureau Bites Ep.10 – Surviving Vietnam

Vietnam can be quite a perilous place to live. Traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of fatalities in the country. While the number of fatalities has been steadily falling each year from around 14,000 deaths in 2010 to around 7,600 in 2019, there were still 48 reported traffic accidents that claimed 21 lives per day last year on our roads. Meanwhile, drownings remain the leading cause of death for children in Vietnam. A conservative estimate suggests that on average, 16 people drown every day in Vietnam, a rate that is believed to be ten times that of developed countries. And then there are all the other dangers at workplaces and around the home that pose a risk to everyday life. Fortunately, however, there are a few organisations in Vietnam that are working with government departments to turn things around. One of those is Survival Skills Vietnam, a social enterprise that strives to raise awareness of hazards in our environment and who conducts first aid and evacuation training for businesses and the general public. To find out more about Survival Skills Vietnam, we spoke to co-founder Trang Nguyen, who’s based in Ho Chi Minh City.

We ask Trang the following questions:

1. Why is there a need for social enterprises like Survival Skills Vietnam?

2. What have been some of the challenges you and your co-founders have faced in setting up your organisation?

3. What are some of the myths associated with survival skills and first aid in Vietnam?

4. What are some everyday things that people typically overlook around home that can be dangerous?

5. What are the essentials for an at-home survival kit?