In April 2024, the official Safe School Zones Guide Vietnam (SSZ Guide) was launched globally and brought with it the opportunity for implementing safe school zones for students across Vietnam. AIP Foundation, a non-profit advocating for safe, equitable, and sustainable mobility in the region, together with Boeing launched the Building Safer Journeys to School for Youth program to safeguard students on their way to and from schools in Vietnam.

Safe Mobility NGO AIP Foundation and its partners launch STABLE trial in Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of World Sight Day 2024 to safeguard university students on the road. Ahead of World Sight Day 2024, AIP Foundation in collaboration with its partners, including the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Transport Development & Strategy Institute, Vietnam Ministry of Transport as well as the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City hosted the launching event of the STABLE Trial.

Building on the legacy of our achievement with local and national government partners across Thailand, AIP Foundation is joining forces with FIA Foundation to launch the new Safeguard – Helmet Advocacy Initiative 2024 – 2026. The objective of the program is to improve existing helmet policy implementation and enforcement strategies in Thailand to promote safer and more sustainable mobility.

The Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has taken a crucial step towards these goals as they announced their new road safety laws to protect children. The National Assembly of Vietnam passed two measures with strong majority to require children under 10 years of age to sit in the back seat of vehicles. They also require children to be secured in an approved child restraint system if they are under 10 years and 135cm tall. Children must be seated in the rear of a car and child safety restraints (CRS) must be used. The Road Traffic Safety laws will take effect in January 2025, with the CRS regulations coming to effect in January 2026.

Safe commuting practices are a crucial pillar of societal well-being and productivity for all. In Cambodia, thousands of garment and footwear factory workers risk their lives travelling to and from work. Despite the fact that Cambodia’s garment and footwear sector growth over the last decade has been impressive, worker safety has lagged behind due in no small part to the hazards of commuting to work, which have resulted in high numbers of injuries and fatalities. The daily commute to and from work puts the lives of more than 870,000 Cambodian garment and footwear industry workers working at over 1,000 factories across the country at risk.

Bloomberg Philanthropies has recognized the Pleiku People’s Committee in Hanoi, Viet Nam, as an inaugural winner of the Awards for Excellence in Road Safety for its work to identify and promote exemplary road safety efforts. The awards program, held in New York City, was launched as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, which has worked in partnership with international and local organizations and governments to improve road safety and save lives by focusing on five key areas: strengthening national legislation; enhancing data collection and surveillance; changing road user behavior; improving road infrastructure; and upgrading vehicle safety.

Vietnam’s Safe School Zones Guide (SSZ Guide) brings safe school zones a step closer to being a reality for students nationwide. Two years in the making, this SSZ Guide is a comprehensive technical blueprint for urban planners, engineers, and policymakers to address the issue of safe mobility around schools across the country. Following its global launch, the Safe School Zones Guide is now being put into action. AIP Foundation, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport and the Ho Chi Minh City Traffic Safety Committee, is proud to inaugurate the first school zone modifications carried out at four project schools using the Safe School Zones Guide.

As part of the expanding legacy of the Helmets for Kids program in Vietnam, supported by Johnson & Johnson and in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, a helmet handover ceremony was held at Kim Anh High School in Hanoi. In December 2022, AIP Foundation pioneered helmet safety standards innovation by bringing the first United Nations ECE-22.05 Standard helmets to Vietnam through this program, and 1,640 ECE-22.05 helmets have been distributed to students.

Around the world, the daily commute is a cornerstone of modern life. Many of us have access to safe public transportation options, and some of us can even walk or ride a bicycle to work. Safe commuting practices are a crucial pillar of societal well-being and productivity for all. In Cambodia, thousands of garment and footwear factory workers risk their lives traveling to work. To address these dangers and work together to find solutions, AIP Foundation will be hosting a second national workshop on the Possibility to Transition from Trucks to Safer Vehicles as part of the Prevention and Participation program supported by VF Corporation.

Vietnam’s Safe School Zones Guide (SSZ Guide) brings safe school zones a step closer to being a reality for all students across the country, proving that small actions lead to significant impacts. Two years in the making, this SSZ Guide is a reliable blueprint for urban planners, engineers, and policymakers to address the safe mobility issue around schools across the country on a larger scale. Earlier this year marked the first time that the SSZ Guide was officially handed over to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.