TOKYO, Japan – November 2, 2025

Phong Le, Country Manager for Vietnam, and Hong Bui, Senior Program Manager at AIP Foundation, visited Japan from 27 October to 2 November to study road safety measures in order to improve the proposed school zone safety standards in Vietnam.

The study tour, coordinated by the World Bank, brought together 17 representatives from theMinistry of Transport, Department of Roads of Vietnam, and related Project Management Units, the World Bank, and AIP Foundation to explore Japan’s best practices in creating safer school environments.

The delegation first met with the Road Bureau from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) in Tokyo. The delegation also had meetings with Saitama and Yokohama City Governments to learn about traffic safety measures for school zones, followed by visits to school zones in both cities, where Zone 30 Plus was installed to help keep children safe. Furthermore, the delegation also learned about asphalt recycling through a meeting with the Taisei Rotec Corporation and a subsequent visit to an asphalt recycling facility. On the final day, the delegation visited Suginami Children’s Traffic Park.

The study tour aimed to strengthen Vietnam’s safe school zones initiative by learning from Japan’s experience, exchanging ideas, and exploring opportunities for collaboration. The visit provided a valuable opportunity for Vietnamese stakeholders to learn from Japan’s comprehensive and community-centered approach to school zone safety.

Key highlights and takeaways from the 7-day study tour included:

• School Zone Safety Policy:Japan showcases strong coordination between the Police and the MLIT, as well as local authorities, enabling cohesive actions at both the national and local levels. The Zone 30 Plus framework mandates the establishment of local committees comprising representatives from both agencies, ensuring consensus-based and integrated safety measures by different stakeholders.
• School Zone Safety Measures:The safety interventions observed in Saitama and Yokohama cities are not entirely new but are highly replicable in the Vietnamese context. Cost-effective measures such as white and green pavement markings clearly defining pedestrian areas, push-button pedestrian signals, speed humps, road narrowing, and plastic bollards were found to effectively reduce vehicle speeds and enhance safety around schools. The traffic park initiative also stood out as an excellent model for traffic safety education among children.
• Asphalt Pavement Recycling:Japan has developed a well-established system for asphalt and concrete recycling, contributing significantly to environmental sustainability. This approach could bring significant benefits to regions such as the Mekong Delta, where quality pavement materials are often limited. For Vietnam, adopting similar practices would require developing an enabling legal and institutional framework in the long term, while pilot projects in the short term could demonstrate feasibility and benefits.

Enhancing safe school zone in Vietnam:

Vietnam is continuously furthering its commitment to safer school zones for students nationwide.One of the key goals of the National Strategy on Road Traffic Safety in Vietnam for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045 (approved by the Prime Minister in 2020), is to ensure that 100% of school gate areas on national highways, provincial roads, and main urban roads are organized for safe traffic and congestion prevention.

To enable this goal, the Ministry of Transport officially endorsed AIP Foundation’s Safe School Zones Guide in August 2023. The Guide, which provides technical standards and practical solutions to address traffic safety issues around schools, has been a reliable resource for stakeholders and has led to remarkable progress in school zone safety in Vietnam since its inception. Throughout 2024, the government invested its own budget of 3.5 million USD to upgrade 3,300 schools nationwide.

Building on the success of the SSZ Guide project—and in response to strong demand from the national government—AIP Foundation, with support from the FIA Foundation and in collaboration with the World Bank and the Vietnam Department of Roads, is developing the Basic Standard for School Zones. This will be Vietnam’s first legal definition of school-zone safety parameters, aimed at protecting children on their daily commute to and from school.

The study tour not only spotlights Japan as a leading model country for safe school zone interventions or Vietnam’s progress in strengthening school zone safety, but also sets the stage for continued collaboration amongst national and international partners. Through these collaborative efforts, the two countries are helping ensure international scaling of safe school zones and, in turn, the safety of students across Vietnam.