Think Playgrounds
Building Greener, Happier Public Spaces for Vietnam’s Children
Factbox
Location
Hanoi, Vietnam
Grant Period
September 2019 - August 2020
Grant Amount
USD 9,700
Focus Area
Overview
Think Playgrounds transforms Vietnam’s urban spaces into vibrant, inclusive environments where children can play, learn, and grow. By collaborating with local communities and using recycled materials, the organisation turns neglected areas into safe playgrounds that nurture both creativity and connection.
Impact At A Glance
- Over 150 community playgrounds and public spaces built across Vietnam
- Uses recycled materials such as tires and wooden boxes to reduce waste
- Works closely with local authorities and residents to co-create spaces
- Promotes inclusive, sustainable play as part of everyday urban life
The Challenge
In Vietnam’s crowded cities, children are running out of safe, open spaces to play and connect with their communities.
Play is an essential part of learning and developing creativity. Yet in many Vietnamese cities, free public playgrounds are rare, and the few existing public spaces often lack equipment for sports, play, or rest. Without accessible places to play, children lose a vital opportunity to explore, imagine, and connect — and communities lose the shared spaces that bring people together.
The Solution
Think Playgrounds transforms empty lots into vibrant playgrounds built from recycled materials, bringing joy and greenery back into urban life.
Founded in 2014, Think Playgrounds collaborates with residents and local authorities to build friendly, child-focused public spaces using recycled materials like tires and wooden boxes. These colourful playgrounds become safe, creative spaces where children can play freely while learning about sustainability.
To support its mission, the organisation also designs and builds playgrounds for private institutions — from international schools to real-estate developers — using those profits to fund public projects. To date, Think Playgrounds has built and revitalised over 150 spaces across Vietnam, each one a small but meaningful contribution to greener, friendlier cities.
The Grant with AirAsia Foundation
AirAsia Foundation’s grant helps Think Playgrounds expand its reach and strengthen its operations to build more inclusive public spaces.
Through this support, Think Playgrounds will:
- Invest in new machinery and upgrade its current workshop
- Develop marketing materials to promote its mission and designs
- Build staff capacity through fire-safety and first-aid training
These upgrades will help the team scale efficiently while ensuring the safety and sustainability of every playground they build — bringing play to even more neighbourhoods across Vietnam.
Gallery
The Organisation
Think Playgrounds
Think Playgrounds is a social enterprise working with urban residents to build playgrounds, community gardens, and inclusive public spaces across Vietnam. They believe that functional, accessible public areas are key to achieving social equity and improving quality of life in growing cities.
Team Leader
Chu Kim Duc
Chu Kim Duc is the Co-founder and Director of Think Playgrounds. With a background in Urban Planning in Hanoi and a Master’s in the History of Gardens, Heritage, and Landscape from Versailles, she has led award-winning public-space projects nationwide. Combining design insight with community empathy, Kim Duc’s mission is simple yet profound — to ensure every child in Vietnam’s cities has a safe, joyful place to play.
Social Enterprise
