Medical staff 'accused' female vice principal of monopolizing the kitchen

School nurse talks about vice principal's monopoly on school kitchen.

After more than 40 students of Kim Thuy Primary Boarding School (Kim Ngan Commune, Quang Tri Province) were hospitalized due to food poisoning during breakfast on September 26, school health worker Truong Thi Quynh said: From the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, she has advised the principal to establish a "Food Inspection Team" to ensure food safety for meals of boarding students according to regulations.

At the school board meeting, when Principal Do Van My announced this proposal, Vice Principal Do Thi Hong Hue immediately objected. Ms. Hue said that only she and two kitchen staff were enough to handle this matter, and no one else needed to participate.

“Even I, a member of the food inspection team, was not allowed to enter the kitchen to check the food. Ms. Hue told me that I was a medical staff member, only responsible for taking care of the students’ health, and had no authority or duty to supervise the food. Ms. Hue made it clear that there were direct leaders giving instructions and two catering staff carrying out the work, and no one else was allowed to step into the kitchen to “do it for me” anymore,” Ms. Quynh said.

According to Ms. Quynh, all food brought into the school is received, checked and cooked by Ms. Hue and two catering staff alone. Other teachers or parents are not allowed to participate in supervision or enter the kitchen to check the quality of the students' meals.

Many teachers at the school also reported that the omission of food inspection procedures made them suspect that the students' meals were being reduced. "The children's food was often very simple, but few dared to give direct feedback for fear of being reprimanded. Until the incident happened and the children were all hospitalized, everyone was indignant," said a teacher who asked to remain anonymous.

Regarding the case of 40 students being poisoned on the morning of September 26, according to Tien Phong newspaper reporters, that morning the students had breakfast with banh tay (a type of cake made from sticky rice, filled with green beans, wrapped in banana leaves). Some students said the cake had a sour smell, was watery, and looked like it was spoiled. After the meal, many students had symptoms of stomachache, nausea, and vomiting.

The student was poisoned and had severe vomiting and stomach pain, but Ms. Hue still tried to prevent her from taking the student to the emergency room.

Faced with the above situation, medical staff Truong Thi Quynh asked the school to take the children to the emergency room, but this request was prevented by Ms. Hue. “I confirm 100% that the children are fine. Do not take them to the hospital. Leave them there. There is no problem at all” – Ms. Hue said in front of many teachers and the principal.

Notably, at the meeting between the school, Kim Ngan commune leaders and the authorities, Ms. Hue provided information, saying that she suspected the poisoning was caused by the students buying food from outside the school, not by eating banh tay provided by the school.

Currently, the case of 40 students being poisoned by food is being investigated and handled by the government and relevant agencies.