HCM City (VNA) – A Vietnam – Belgium symposium was held at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) on April 3, advancing road safety initiatives through virtual learning and research.

The event was jointly organised by the UEH, Hasselt University, and the National Traffic Safety Committee as part of the ongoing state visit to Vietnam by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Le Kim Thanh highlighted the Vision Zero approach, which aims for a transportation system free of fatalities and serious injuries, stating this is an ambitious goal, but based on scientific principles and profound humanitarian values.

He laid stress on Vietnam's commitment to pursuing the vision through improved management, policy innovation, and technological applications in traffic safety administration, infrastructure improvements, vehicle standards, road user behaviour, and post-accident response.

Prof. Dr. Davy Janssens from Hasselt University's Transportation Research Institute explained how new technologies are being deployed to revolutionise road safety education and urban mobility, highlighting the university’s Route2School project, which focuses on improving infrastructure for vulnerable road users, particularly students.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trinh Tu Anh, Director of UEH's Institute of Smart Cities and Management, the Route2School project has been introduced to Vietnam to enhance traffic safety awareness among young people through two platforms, a gamified e-learning application featuring real traffic scenarios and VR Cycling to practice safe driving skills.

At the symposium, Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh, UEH Director, emphasised the long-standing partnership between Vietnamese and Belgian institutions and expressed his desire to strengthen collaboration for a safer, more sustainable future.

Belgium has been a crucial partner for the UEH specifically and Vietnam generally in education, research, and innovation, creating meaningful collaboration opportunities with not only the university but other leading educational institutions in Vietnam, he noted.

Each year, hundreds of Vietnamese students travel to Belgium for study and research. To date, more than 5,000 Vietnamese alumni of Belgian universities have contributed their expertise across various sectors.

The two countries have sh꧒ared a strong commitment to advancing education, research, and innovation over many years. Road safety in particular has emerged as a critical focus in bilateral cooperation, continually developing through in-depth training programmeไs and joint research aimed at improving traffic safety in Vietnam./.