In Viet Nam, more than 17 million children travel to and from school every day, often in road environments that lack basic safety features. Standardized school zones—with reduced speed limits, appropriate signage, and safe infrastructure—are not yet defined in national legislation, leaving children exposed to high-speed traffic, unsafe crossings, and limited pedestrian protection. As a result, road traffic injuries remain a significant cause of death and disability among children, particularly pedestrians and cyclists.

The Safe School Zones in Viet Nam project addresses these systemic gaps by promoting the adoption and implementation of a national framework for standardized school zones. Implemented by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with the AIP Foundation and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the project applies a Safe System approach that integrates safer roads, safer speeds, and safer road users.

The project combines evidence generation, capacity building, pilot infrastructure improvements, and policy advocacy. Key activities include training officials from all 63 provincial Departments of Transport on the Safe School Zone Guide and the iRAP Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) tool; piloting model school zones through targeted infrastructure modifications; conducting public awareness campaigns to promote safer behaviours around schools; and facilitating an experiential learning and advocacy tour for national decision-makers. These efforts are designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of standardized school zones and build momentum for national legislative adoption.

By strengthening institutional capacity and coordination across transport, education, road safety, and law enforcement sectors, the project supports government ownership and long-term sustainability. Evidence and lessons generated through implementation will inform policy recommendations submitted to the Ministry of Transport and support the development of a national legal definition for school zones.

The project aligns with Viet Nam’s National Strategy to Ensure Road Traffic Order and Safety (2021–2030) and contributes directly to SDG targets 3.6 and 11.2, as well as broader goals on equity, climate action, and international cooperation. Through scalable and evidence-based interventions, the project aims to create safer school journeys and lasting improvements in road safety for children and communities across Viet Nam.