The event, co-organized by the Ministry of Public Security and Japan’s Mainichi newspaper, aims to provide traffic safety knowledge, skills and abilities, and protecting children from traffic accidents. According to the organising board, each member of a four-member team runs a distance of 3.4km in a relay race around Hoan Kiem lake. Nguyen Quang Thang, a runner, said: “The event helps promote the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan. It also encourages people to obey traffic rules to ensure traffic safety."

The traffic death toll in Vietnam fell from 13,000 in 2010 to 9,000 in 2017.