As World Mental Health Day highlights the importance of movement for mental wellbeing, Vietnam’s community sport programme demonstrates significant progress in encouraging active lifestyles among youth, with potential mental health benefits.
Researchers and health advocates are marking World Mental Health Day by stressing a simple message: regular movement can be a practical way to support a healthier mind as well as a healthier body. The World Health Organization has chosen “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change” as the 2026 theme, a call to ensure that people who have lived with mental health conditions are not only heard but also involved in shaping the services and policies that affect them.
That focus comes against a backdrop of continuing concern about mental health worldwide. The World Health Organization says anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions can seriously affect quality of life, learning and productivity, while UNICEF estimates that common mental health problems affect between 8% and 29% of children and adolescents in Việt Nam. Health experts say those figures underline the need for prevention as well as treatment, particularly for younger people.
Physical activity is one of the clearest examples of a low-cost, everyday habit that can make a difference. The World Health Organization says inactivity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases and premature death, and it reports that about 31% of adults and 80% of adolescents worldwide are not active enough. In Việt Nam, the same data show a particularly sharp gap among teenagers: 91% of girls and 82% of boys aged 11 to 17 do not reach the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day.
That is the context in which the Community Sport and Health Cooperation Initiative is being promoted in Việt Nam. Launched by the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organization and implemented by PATH with partners, the programme aims not just to organise sport, but to build environments that make movement a normal part of daily life across health, education and sports settings. PATH says the initiative has reached more than 229,000 students and community members and has helped drive a 20.6% rise in the share of students meeting recommended activity levels.
Dr Lê Thị Thu Hiền, PATH’s primary health care programme director, said physical activity and sport bring benefits at every age, and are especially valuable for children and adolescents because they support play, social connection, confidence and good habits. Her point reflects a wider public health shift: creating places where people can move safely and enjoyably may be one of the most effective ways to support both physical and mental wellbeing. In that sense, the message for World Mental Health Day is plain enough: sometimes the first step towards a healthier mind is simply to get moving.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
