Hanoi, Vietnam, Receives 2025 Vision Zero for Youth International Leadership Award

Hanoi, Vietnam, is the 2025 recipient of the Vision Zero for Youth International Leadership Award, supported by the FIA Foundation.

Hanoi has been recognised for its commitment to improving traffic safety for students through transformative infrastructure improvements and safety initiatives aimed at ensuring safer conditions around school gate areas.

Led by the National Centre for Safe Routes to School in the USA with support from the FIA Foundation, the International Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award recognises cities that take bold steps towards reaching zero traffic deaths among children and youth. The award was presented in a ceremony by Global Designing Cities Initiative’s (GDCI) Paul Supawanich, a member of the Vision Zero For Youth Award Committee.

“We are pleased to honour Hanoi’s impressive efforts to make the streets around schools safer for children and youth,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director, National Centre for Safe Routes to School. “Hanoi has been committed to focusing on key areas: infrastructure improvements, speed management, and prioritising the most vulnerable road users, especially school children.”

The award committee chose Hanoi for its commitment to reducing child and youth injuries through actions that began with a few pilot projects and have since led to safety installations at more than 100 schools. Slowing traffic speeds is critical for the safety of people walking and biking. Therefore, safety improvements included traffic calming measures like raised crossings and lane narrowing; pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements like widened sidewalks and dedicated cycle lanes; and most notably, a new 30 km/h speed limit. Moreover, the city’s commitment to safety continues to grow.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the recognition of Hanoi as the recipient of the 2025 International Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award,” said Phong Dao Duy, Vice Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction. “This is a great honour for our city, and we deeply appreciate the acknowledgement of our collective efforts to improve traffic safety for vulnerable groups, especially school children.”

“Hanoi has reimagined safer streets for its children,” said Natalie Draisin, Director of the North American Office and United Nations Representative for the FIA Foundation. “The Vision Zero for Youth International Leadership Award celebrates Hanoi’s commitment to scalable road safety pilots, specifically by improving infrastructure and vehicle speeds. These two key elements save lives and show decision-makers in Vietnam and across the world that targeted action works.”

Presenting the award in Hanoi, Paul Supawanich said: “This award reflects Hanoi’s efforts to take urgent action to improve safety for youth around schools. We hope it inspires the City’s continued momentum and establishes its role as a model for other cities across the region and around the world.”

Places recognized with the Vision Zero for Youth International Leadership Award have taken impressive action to improve walking and biking safety for their children and youth with the goal of building safer, healthier communities for everyone. The International Award is in its sixth year. This is the second time Vietnam has been recognized with the award; in 2022, Pleiku City and the greater Gia Lai Province in Vietnam received the award.