Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Water Future: Scienceporium Community Engagement in Vietnam

Access to clean water and sanitation remains a critical challenge for Vietnamese population. In 2022, it was reported that only 57.8% of the Vietnamese population had access to safely managed drinking water, significantly below the Southeast Asia average of 74.3%. Additionally, studies have reported that microbial contamination levels in the surface water exceeding the permissible limits by 2.14–7.02 times, posing heightened risks of waterborne diseases. Scienceporium: Sustainable Water Future program was conducted in Da Nang district in collaboration between Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and FPT University. This program featured STEM-based workshops aimed at enhancing the youths' understanding of SDG 6 and fostering practical skills in problem solving. Furthermore, a community engagement project was conducted at the Da Nang Street Children Protection Centre, where a water filtration system was installed to provide residents with access to clean drinking water. These efforts aimed to empower participants to actively contribute to clean water and sanitation initiatives, addressing the pressing water quality challenges in Vietnam.