MELBOURNE, Australia – November 7-11, 2023

A delegation from Vietnam’s Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and the AIP Foundation nonprofit visited Melbourne from 7 to 11 November 2023 to study road safety measures as part of the Australian Study Mission.

Fifteen delegates attended the study mission from the International Cooperation Department, Department for Roads of Vietnam, Transportation Department, Transport Infrastructure Department under Ministry of Transport, as well as provincial Departments of Transport, and  provincial Traffic Safety Committee.The visit was coordinated by AIP Foundation with support from FIA Foundation, Fondation Botnar,International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP).

The delegation met with representatives from the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, the National Transport Research Organisation, the Transport Accident Commission, and Monash University’s Accident Research Centre. The overall objective of the study mission in Australia was to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Transport in the area of road safety, with a focus on safe school zones and youth engagement in decision-making to promote road safety.

Key highlights and takeaways from the three day Study tour included:

• The tour was extremely useful in convincing government officials to push for investment in safe school zones and changing attitudes and behaviors to accept the importance of long-term investment in safe school areas around the country.
• The Department of Transport and the Ministry of Education signed a plan to organize safe school zones in Ho Chi Minh City.
• The delegation learned of innovative solutions for speed management – i.e. setting speed limits only during the school day/specific limited hours.

The delegation’s visit to Melbourne was a valuable opportunity for them to learn about Victoria’s leading road safety practices and to share their own experiences from Vietnam with Victoria’s road safety experts in Australia. The Vietnam delegation was particularly interested in learning about how to use evidence-based research to inform policy changes.  Overall, the delegation’s findings from the visit will be used to inform Vietnam’s own road safety policies and programs, particularly on school zone safety around the country.