Vietnamese kids brush up their AK-47 skills at summer camp

A boy goes through a fire-fighting drill while other kids get some military training

HANOI -- With rising incomes, more Vietnamese parents are sending their kids to summer camp -- but not any old summer camp.

In early June, an elementary school girl had an AK-47, the Vietnamese army's rifle of choice, across one knee at a camp on the outskirts of Hanoi. Children at the camp get almost the same training as new soldiers. They are taught how to disassemble and assemble a gun, how to avoid bullets and how to handle army dogs. Students who show a particular aptitude with guns can even get some live-fire training.

Since last year, military training programs for kids have been gaining popularity. A week or so of kids boot camp costs about 5 million dong ($224). Some 200 children participated this summer. Then, the schedule ended.

But a flood of inquiries prompted the army to add camps later this month and in August.

The training program is held at more than five locations, including in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Ninh Thuan.

Le Thi Kim Dung, 35, in June sent her 9-year-old son to the boot camp in Hanoi. It was the boy's first time away from the family, and his mother said he returned with more discipline and strength.

In the northern province of Hoa Binh, a fire-fighting academy provides counterterrorism training. The six-day program teaches children, among other skills, how to handle themselves should terrorists strike. Although the course costs as much as 5.6 million dong, the number of participants this year is expected to reach 1,000, up 150% from last year.

Terror attacks in Bangladesh and Turkey this year might have helped boost enrollment numbers.

At least one camp teaches kids how to deal with bullies. The Institute of education development and intellectual Viet, or IEDV, in Hanoi, started offering an anti-bullying camp a few years ago. Participants are taught self-defense skills, how to escape violence and first aid training. Camp-goers are also taught how to consult with teachers and parents and how to make up with friends after a fight.

As Vietnam's economy grows, parents are spending more money on their kids' futures. Educational spending in June was up 4.6% from a year earlier and 8.57% from 24 months earlier, mainly due to parents' fervor for education, rather than tuition increases.

Since a good academic background is held in high regard, most Vietnamese parents send their children to after-school classes and cram schools. Now, a growing number of them are signing up their kids for swimming, golf and martial arts lessons, even though these courses do not directly relate to entrance exams.

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