Give a Vietnamese child a helmet; save a life

Each year, approximately 2,000 children and young people are killed on Viet Nam’s roads. A significant proportion of these deaths are linked to the use of substandard helmets that do not provide adequate head protection. Strengthening helmet quality is therefore a critical and urgent road safety priority.

On 15 December 2025, the workshop “Safe Heads, Strong Future: Advancing Helmet Use and Quality for Children and Youth” took place in Ha Noi, bringing together members of the Viet Nam Project 2000 Road Safety Partnership, Government agencies, civil society, and transport sector representatives. The Viet Nam Project 2000 Road Safety Partnership is a multisectoral initiative led by WHO and the AIP Foundation, uniting public and private partners to reduce child and youth road deaths in Viet Nam from more than 2,000 annually to zero. The discussion focused on strengthening compliance with helmet regulations, with particular emphasis on improving helmet quality standards and enforcement mechanisms.

Evidence shows that correct helmet use can reduce the risk of death in a crash by more than 6 times and reduce the risk of brain injury by up to 74%. Recognizing this life-saving impact, helmet use and quality remain one of the three core priorities of the Project 2000 Partnership, which aims to support the Government of Viet Nam in reducing child and youth road deaths from 2,000 annually to zero.

Key recommendations from the workshop include:

• Developing technical standards specifically for children’s helmets;
• Strengthening market surveillance to eliminate counterfeit and substandard products;
• Increasing public awareness to help families choose and properly use quality helmets.

The workshop marked an important milestone in aligning stakeholders around a shared objective: protecting every child and young person on every ride. Building on this shared commitment, participants of the workshop committed to pursue coordinated, multisectoral action to ensure that only certified, high-quality helmets are produced, distributed, and worn across Viet Nam.

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Every day, an average of five children lose their lives in road traffic crashes across Viet Nam - amounting to more than 2,000 preventable deaths each year. These losses are devastating for families and place a significant burden on the country’s health system, economy, and society. Recognizing that these tragedies are not inevitable, the World Health Organization (WHO) Vietnam and AIP Foundation have launched Viet Nam Project 2000 - a national partnership to eliminate child and youth road fatalities through coordinated, evidence-based action.

The formal launch of the partnership took place on October 14, 2025, bringing together 17 founding partners from government, civil society, academia, the private sector, and international development organizations. With strategic support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the FIA Foundation, the initiative aims to reduce road deaths among children and young people in Viet Nam from more than 2,000 annually to zero.

The Partnership will focus on three priority areas proven to reduce road injuries and deaths: ensuring all children wear certified, affordable motorcycle helmets; supporting the implementation of new laws requiring child restraint systems in cars, effective January 1, 2026; and creating safe school zones with improved infrastructure and road behavior, particularly during student drop-off and pick-up times.

Beyond national impact, the initiative positions Viet Nam as a regional and global leader in advancing child road safety. By aligning leadership, resources, and community engagement, Viet Nam Project 2000 demonstrates that bold, collective action can save lives and that a future where no child dies on the road is not just possible, but essential.

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