Give a Vietnamese child a helmet; save a life

Although Vietnam is regarded as a success story in enforcing the mandatory helmet law for riders of motorcycles, with a relatively high wearing rate nationwide, the persisting issue of wearing low-quality helmets needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, there are many helmets used that do not meet the standard of the National Technical Regulations on safety helmets. 

A total of 540 child and adult motorcycle helmets were collected and exchanged in Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen Province to undergo a quality research study conducted in partnership between the AIP Foundation and the Hanoi University of Public Health through the Safety Delivered program, supported by The UPS Foundation. 

25.9% of the surveyed helmets were identified as “cap helmets,” which lack the foam lining needed to adequately protect wearers’ heads. Worryingly, 89,5% of surveyed helmets worn are sub-standard helmets that would fail to significantly reduce the chance of brain injury or skull fracture of their users in a road crash.

To address this, AIP Foundation is working with The National Traffic Safety Committee and the Thai Nguyen Provincial Traffic Safety Committee to enhance the efficacy of the implementation of mandatory regulations. The plan serves as a basis for further solutions to enhance the effectiveness of enforcing laws requiring the use of helmets under the National Technical Regulations for riders of motorcycles, mopeds, and e-bikes nationwide to ensure that every road user is better protected on the streets. 

We are also gearing up to launch our first ever distribution of UN-standard helmets in Vietnam to increase the use of quality helmets among our students and parents. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on our journey to make roads safer for Vietnam!