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10 Winners of Essay Competition on Traffic Safety Announced

HANOI, VIET NAM (12 December 2005) - The Asian Development Bank in partnership with the Vietnam Students' Newspaper today held an awards ceremony for 10 winning students in a traffic safety essay competition it jointly organized titled "Unforgettable trip."

The competition, held from 3 October to 7 November in the Pupils' Flower, a published by the Vietnam Students' Newspaper for students aged 12-18 from Hanoi, was held to promote better awareness about traffic safety among the youth.

The organizers received 5.825 entries from individuals and groups. In response to the competition, several schools in Hanoi conducted safety months for their students and many parents encouraged their children to participate.

In their essays, children vividly relate their traffic experiences, lessons learned due to violation of traffic rules, and tricks to surviving on the roads.

In a speech at the ceremony held in Tran Nhan Tong School, Bradford Philips, ADB Country Director in Viet Nam, said that the response to the competition demonstrated great community concerns about traffic safety in Viet Nam.

"We all see the growing traffic problem in Viet Nam and we all know at least one person who has been injured in an accident recently," he said. "As the future of Viet Nam, today's students have the power to change driving behavior and reduce the loss of life and resources that Viet Nam is experiencing now,"

Doan Cong Huynh, Vietnam Students' Newspaper Editor in Chief, said that as a leading newspaper of younger generations, it always tries to open forums for pupils to discuss topics of interest.

"The high number of entries has proved that traffic safety has become a big concern of the young people and the community," he said. "The competition has created a forum for pupils to share their experiences and lessons helpful for themselves, their friends and relatives in obeying traffic rules."

This is the first ever competition on traffic safety to be held for school children in Hanoi. The awards include 1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes and 4 honorable mentions worth VND5 million, VND 3 million, VND 2 million and VND1 million, respectively.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 64 members - 46 from the region. In 2004, it approved loans and technical assistance totaling $5.3 billion and $196.6 million, respectively.

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