Hanoi, Vietnam

The “Wear Helmets for Children” Call For Advocacy Walking Event, which took place on Sunday morning on Ho Guom street in Hanoi, received overwhelming support from the local community with more than 3,000 first-grade students and 3,000 parents in attendance to support the Prime Minister’s directive, which aims for over 80% of children in Vietnam to wear a standard helmet when riding a motorbike or electric bicycle by 2020. The event was hosted by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Hanoi People’s Committee.

The day began with children’s performances to welcome distinguished guests and featured introductory speeches by several government officials. Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi People Committee, and Phung Xuan Nha, Minister of Education and Training, initiated the ceremony and participated in the signing of a coordination program which will promote traffic safety education in schools between 2019-2024. Following the signing agreement, Truong Hoa Binh, Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of National Traffic Safety Committee, urged children and parents to remember to wear their helmets.

Twenty first grade students also participated onstage in the official helmet handover ceremony, while parents wore helmets to symbolize their commitment to children’s safety.

Distinguished guests and officials present at the event included Ms. Truong Thi Mai, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Commission for Public Affairs; Nguyen Van The, Minister of Transport; Khuat Viet Hung, Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee; Mr. Kunjo Umeda, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam; and Colonel Do Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of Traffic Police Department, Ministry of Public Security.

The 500 meter walk started at Ly Thai To Monument and ended at Kamikaze Monument. The event concluded with commitment signing and a call-to-action for children and parents to commit to wearing helmets.

Ms. Mirjam Sidik, CEO of AIP Foundation, Ms. Tran Le Thu, Operations Manager of UPS Vietnam, and Mr. Keisuke Tsuruzono, General Manager of Honda, joined hands in walking with students and parents, symbolizing their commitment to road crash prevention. Luong Thuy Linh, Miss World Vietnam, and artists including Lan Huong, Bao Thanh, and Xuan Bac, also attended the event to show their support in promoting helmet wearing among children in Vietnam.
View more photos from the event here.