1..        WHO held an interview with National TV channel on the meaning of Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims in Viet Nam and called for further actions to improve road safety.

2.         From the beginning of November, the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) together with Provincial Traffic Safety Committees of 63 provinces and cities paid visits to families having victims of road traffic crashes.

3.       Leaders of NTSC visited major trauma care centers in Hanoi to talk with victims.

4.       NTSC provided some financial support to families being impoverished by road crashes.

5.       About 16 million students from 28,600 schools in Viet Nam received road safety information on 11 November

A large Requiem will be held in Ninh Binh province on 16 November which expects the participation of 15,000 relatives of victims of road crashes and local communities.

A Requiem in Vietnam is a Buddhist spiritual healing ceremony for the dead, so that the souls of the dead can be released and have a better after-life.

15,000 people attended the Requiem in Ninh Binh City.

8,000 lights at the event marked 8,000 road deaths in Vietnam for 10 months in 2013.

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister (Chairman of National Traffic Safety Committee) and the Minister of Transport.

Contact: Mr. Nguyen Phuong Nam
WHO country office, Viet Nam
nguyenp@wpro.who.int