[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Original article published by FIA Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n School journeys for 17 million children across Vietnam are safer thanks to the\u00a0Slow Zones, Safe Zones (SZSZ)<\/em>\u00a0programme, which successfully leveraged a city pilot through to a national legislative framework.\u00a0<\/p>\n The AIP Foundation-led programme addressed high speeds around schools, which is a significant contributor to the country\u2019s road death and injury rate, one of the highest in the region. The initial project was part of the Botnar Child Road Safety Challenge supported by Fondation Botnar, the Global Road Safety Partnership, and the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de l’Automobile and subsequent phases were supported by the FIA Foundation and its Child Health Initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/starratingforschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Ho-Chi-Minh-City-was-the-first-to-implement-Vietnams-Safe-School-Zones-Guide.png” title_text=”Ho Chi Minh City was the first to implement Vietnam\u2019s Safe School Zones Guide” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Ho Chi Minh City was the first to implement Vietnam\u2019s Safe School Zones Guide.<\/p>\n Pilot\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The first stage was a 2018 two-school pilot in Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, which assessed and improved infrastructure to lower vehicle speeds and protect vulnerable road users using the iRAP Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) methodology. The SZSZ programme was then scaled up to improve streets, serving a total of 31 primary schools. All the schools received initial 1 or 2-star ratings and, after the improvements, they all received 4 and 5-star ratings, which reduced road crashes by over a fifth.<\/p>\n Regional scale-up<\/strong><\/p>\n Building on the successful Pleiku City implementation, the Gia Lai Provincial Government legislated for school zone speed limits of 30 km\/h on city roads and 40km\/h on national roads. It also instructed Pleiku City to allocate city budget for school zone improvements. Over the course of five years, the SZSZ programme directly benefited 130,000 road users nationally and a further 16 million indirectly.<\/p>\n National guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n The Vietnamese Government expanded the model nationwide through the development of a technical guide for local Vietnamese governments to design new school zones and assess existing school infrastructure. The\u00a0Safe School Zones Vietnam Guide (SSZ Guide)<\/em>\u00a0was launched in October 2021 and became the first national reference material on safe school zones in August 2023, endorsed by the Ministry of Transport, and its implementation built the evidence base to support legislation strengthening a legal school zone definition in Vietnam.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/starratingforschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Dissemination-of-the-guide-include-national-workshops.png” title_text=”Dissemination of the guide include national workshops” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Dissemination of the guide include national workshops.<\/p>\n Street action and funding \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A comprehensive school zone traffic management and infrastructure review and updates, along with new action plans to improve safety, were mandated by a Prime Ministerial Directive and a Ministry of Transport Decision, respectively. All 63 Vietnamese provinces were encouraged to adopt\u00a0SSZ Guide<\/em>\u00a0recommendations, further supported by USD 3.5 million investment from the Vietnamese Government to support upgrades around 3,300 schools.<\/p>\n Watch the global webinar for the\u00a0Safe School Zones Guide<\/em>\u00a0Global Launch\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/aB3JoDlDYkg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Vietnam\u2019s Safe School Zones Guide (SSZ Guide), developed by the AIP Foundation and the Vietnamese Government with support from the FIA Foundation, was implemented for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City.<\/p>\n Read original article here: https:\/\/www.fiafoundation.org\/news\/from-pilot-to-national-framework-slow-zones-safe-zones-programme-transforms-vietnamese-school-journeys<\/p>\n