Parents highly agree
The Hanoi People's Council has just passed a Resolution regulating the mechanism for supporting boarding meals for primary school students studying at educational institutions (excluding educational institutions with foreign investment) in Hanoi from the 2025-2026 school year.
The subjects of application are primary school students studying at educational institutions (excluding foreign-invested educational institutions) in Hanoi, voluntarily participating in the use of boarding services at educational institutions; educational institutions (excluding foreign-invested educational institutions) in Hanoi.
The level of support for primary school students in group 1, studying at 23 educational institutions in mountainous communes and communes in the central banks of the Red River before the time of administrative unit arrangement is 30,000 VND/student/day (supporting main meals).
Group 2, primary school students studying at the remaining educational institutions, the support level is 20,000 VND/student/day (supporting main meals). In case parents and schools agree on a higher meal allowance than the state's support level, the difference will be collected from learners (ensuring the minimum meal allowance is 30,000 VND/student/day).
The support period is the 2025 - 2026 school year (according to the actual number of days, not exceeding 9 months/school year).
According to calculations, the total estimated cost is more than 3,000 billion VND, applied to about 768,000 students at public and private schools in the capital.
Ms. Vu Thi Ngoc Anh, a parent with 2 primary school children in Hanoi, believes that this is a very practical policy, helping parents feel secure in their work.
"If I get a free lunch, my family will save 1 item per month, and the financial burden will be somewhat reduced" - Ms. Ngoc Anh said.
The process of selecting a supplier requires transparency
Ms. Phuong Anh, a parent whose child is studying at Le Van Tam Primary School (Bach Mai Ward, Hanoi) said that in the previous school year, Huong Viet Sinh Company Limited was the unit that provided lunch for students at the school. The selection process is public, transparent, and has the consent of parents. Therefore, Ms. Phuong Anh and the parents feel secure with their children's meals.
"The food processing process is strictly controlled with safety criteria, all food sources have certificates" - Ms. Phuong Anh said.
In response to the policy of free lunch for students from the school year, this parent expressed concern about how the unit providing meals will be when the state provides the budget.
This is also the question of Mr. Vy Van Duc (Phuc Loi ward, Hanoi).
"When parents do not have to pay, it is certain that choosing a food supplier will be chosen by the local government. I hope the selection process is transparent and public. With the support money, I hope the selected unit will cook properly, cook enough, and ensure the quality of the meals for the children" - Mr. Duc expressed his wish.
Commitment to ensuring quality meals for students
Huong Viet Sinh Company Limited is a trusted and chosen unit by many schools in Hanoi and Bac Ninh.
The difference is that the unit has built a closed food supply chain "from farm to dining table" through proactive investment in farms in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, from raising chickens for eggs, pigs for meat to growing clean vegetables that meet VIETGAP standards.
Processed products such as tofu, bean sprouts, vermicelli, banh pho, sausage, ham, fish cakes... all meet the 3-star and 4-star OCOP certification of Hanoi City, ensuring clear origin and high quality.
"We control each stage, from sowing to processing, with a team of agricultural engineers closely monitoring" - Ms. Vu Lan Sinh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company said.
In particular, the unit also cooperated with the Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine to research and develop a scientific school menu. The menus are designed seasonally, suitable for the nutritional needs of each age group, from kindergarten to junior high school. The menu is constantly changed throughout the week so that students are always excited about meals.
"We not only want to provide food but also hope that each meal is the foundation for the comprehensive development of students" - Ms. Vu Lan Sinh affirmed.
