City Know-hows

Can child-friendly walkability be improved in a two-wheel traffic-saturated city like Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam?

Motorbikes dominate traffic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city. Amid this, are there truly child-friendly spaces for walking?

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Target audience

Local authorities, urban and transportation policymakers, government and non-government organizations focused on children, parents of school-age children, and researchers in mobility, walkability, and sustainable transportation.

The problem

Ho Chi Minh City’s motorbike-dependent traffic, severe congestion from overloaded infrastructure, high accident rates among children and pedestrians, and a doubling of overweight and obesity rates among children over the past decade have driven a comprehensive study on children’s walkability. This study serves as a foundation to encourage more walking among children as an initial step toward addressing these critical issues.

What we did and why

We surveyed 381 child-parent pairs to investigate their subjective walking experiences in the downtown area, along with field observations of 88 frequently used walking routes. This data enabled us to assess the current state of walkability from the perspectives of children, parents, and field observations. Based on these insights, we identified key factors and actions needed to enhance walkability.

Our study’s contribution

Child-friendly walkability in downtown Ho Chi Minh City is rated as average or below, according to both children’s subjective assessments and objective field evaluations:

  • Children’s travel patterns are influenced by their parents, with walking as the second most common mode of daily transportation
  • Most walking occurs on two-lane motorized roads with poor walkability conditions.
  • Children rate walkability consistently lower than their parents and below actual conditions, largely because walking spaces are not designed with children in mind.
  • Key factors to enhance children’s walkability in downtown areas are Convenience and Conviviality.

Impacts for city policy and practice

To transform downtown Ho Chi Minh City into a child-friendly walkable area:

  • Road type priorities: begin with 2-lane roads, as they are most frequently used by children. Follow with 3-lane roads, which have the highest child-pedestrian traffic.
  • Two-lane road improvements: enhance child- and pedestrian-friendly mixed-use areas by integrating parks, playgrounds, grocery stores, schools, libraries, medical facilities, and recreational spaces.
  • Three-lane road improvements: strengthen connectivity by upgrading sidewalk infrastructure, adding pedestrian links, addressing sidewalk encroachment, and ensuring safe crossings.

Further information

Full research article:

Open Access Child-friendly walkability for well-being in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: an integrated approach from objective and subjective perspectives by Thi Hanh An Le, Tu Anh Trinh, An Neven, Davy Janssens & Quang Ngoc Truong

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