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| Swimming in high quality swimming pools is the choice of many people in Hue |
Swimming in the pool
A few years ago, at the age of 55, Mr. Le Nam in An Cuu (Hue City) put down his badminton racket and switched to swimming. Looking at some swimming pools, he finally decided to choose the swimming pool of the Water Sports Center at No. 2 Le Quy Don Street because this is both a service and a training facility for athletes, so safety is guaranteed.
Deciding to go swimming, Mr. Nam bought all the luxury swim caps, goggles, and swimsuit. Initially, he bought a daily ticket, then he decided to buy a monthly ticket so that he would have more motivation to swim more diligently. Retired and no longer busy with work, he went swimming throughout the week, initially swimming in the afternoon, and then switching to the morning because there are fewer people.
He does not swim fast or strong, but he is quite durable. He jumped into the 50-meter-long pool and swam continuously until the bell rang and then jumped back to the pool edge to rest. He said, after swimming, he ate well, slept well, had less pains, and his neck and shoulder problems were also much reduced.
Recently, to meet the growing demand for swimming and swimming practice, many swimming pools have been built on both the north and south banks of the Huong River. In addition to a number of fixed swimming pools, typically the public swimming pools of the Water Sports Center mentioned above, or of many schools such as Quoc Hoc High School for the Gifted, there are hundreds of additional fixed and portable swimming pools in hotels as well as outside. Many hotels with large swimming pools also open swimming services and organize swimming courses for those in need.
At the swimming pool area of a hotel, I met Ms. Nguyen Thi Hau whose house is in Huong Thuy, dozens of kilometers from the swimming pool. In conversation, she said that in the summer, she took her two children, her fifth-grade niece and first-grade nephew, to swimming lessons. She researched carefully and learned that although this swimming pool is a bit expensive, it is clean and safe.
To the river and to the sea
Not satisfied with the narrow space of artificial swimming pools, recently many Hue people, especially young people, have gone to the Huong River to swim. The habit of swimming in the river is shared by many Hue people. Every morning and every afternoon, the river still welcomes many people with bathing "ports" along both banks of the river. The development of a widespread and diverse swimming pool system has helped reduce the load on the river.
Like Mr. Le Nam, after retiring, Ms. Dang Thi Dieu Mai chose swimming as a practice sport. "Criticizing" the cramped and unhygienic swimming pool, this summer she decided to swim in the big Huong River. Although she swims quite well, she still bought an arm buoy to swim further and avoid risks.
Ms. Mai said: “I chose to swim in the Huong River because the river water is green and clear, which makes me feel comfortable when swimming. When dawn rises and the sun appears, the Huong River is more beautiful than ever, so there is more pleasure in admiring the beautiful scenery of the river and the feeling of being immersed in nature.”
Recently in the late afternoon, I had the opportunity to pass through the Ben Me area and witnessed hundreds of people, old and young, girls and boys, having fun bathing in the river. Many of them carefully brought life jackets, tires, and even plastic cans to swim in the Huong River. For decades, Ben Me has been a public bathing area. Recently, the city government built a semicircular bridge like an outdoor swimming pool to make it convenient for everyone to have the hobby and habit of bathing in the Huong River.
Furthermore, there is another option: sea bathing. Just recently, a friend from my neighborhood suddenly invited me to get up early in the morning and ride a motorbike to Thuan An to swim at the beach. Initially, I was hesitant and shy, but once I got there, I noticed that the road from the city center to Thuan An beach is not far, only about 30 minutes.
On a beautiful Sunday morning, I was surprised to see there were a thousand people bathing in front of my eyes. After more than an hour of splashing in the ocean waves, enjoying a bowl of greasy beef porridge, and having some morning coffee, we were home at 8 o'clock.
There are also few cities like Hue that have enough rivers and beaches so that everyone who loves this sport can freely choose a suitable way to swim. That is also a happiness of people living in Hue.