Dirty food information in schools: Hearing the principal speak, parents are 'uproared'

On the evening of September 18, many parents of Trung Vuong Primary School (Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat, Lam Dong) attended the meeting about the information about dirty food in the school. When they heard the principal's answer, they were "uproared" and disagreed.

On the evening of September 18, at Trung Vuong Primary School, Mr. Nguyen Mau Ha, Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat chaired a meeting to consider and resolve the case of information shared on social networks accusing the Principal of Trung Vuong Primary School of contracting with a supplier to repeatedly bring dirty food into the school's boarding kitchen.

After Ms. Nguyen Thai Quynh Nga, Principal of Trung Vuong Primary School, spoke about dirty food, parents were 'uproared'.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

Invited but not allowed to attend the meeting

Earlier in the morning of the same day, the People's Committee of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat issued invitations to many participants to attend the meeting and asked Trung Vuong Primary School to invite the school's Parent Representative Board for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years to attend.

The parents' representative committee was prevented from entering the meeting room at 5:00 p.m. on September 18.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

Many parents are upset because they were not allowed to attend the meeting about dirty food in schools.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

However, at 5:00 p.m., dozens of parents in the Parents' Representative Committee who came to the school were stopped by the militia and not allowed to enter the meeting hall. Only 3 parents were allowed in, so the parents strongly protested.

Then, more and more parents came to the school, putting pressure on the principal of Trung Vuong Primary School to confront him about dirty food in the school's kitchen.

The meeting chaired by the Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat started at 5:00 p.m. on September 18, with only 3 parents allowed to attend.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

Ms. Pham Ky The Ngan (Parents Representative Board of Class 3D) on behalf of the parents said that in the past 3 days, information shared on social networks has accused the Principal of Trung Vuong Primary School of contracting with suppliers to repeatedly bring dirty food into the school's boarding kitchen, causing parents to be very confused and worried. Therefore, she requested the ward leaders to organize a 4-party confrontation including: ward leaders, parents, the principal and the person who wrote the complaint to clarify the issue.

Parents are not satisfied with the principal's response.

After discussion, at 7:00 p.m. the same day, in the boarding school dining room, Mr. Nguyen Mau Ha and Ms. Nguyen Thai Quynh Nga, Principal of Trung Vuong Primary School, chaired the confrontation.

Ms. Pham Ky The Ngan, representing the students' parents, expressed her concerns.

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The parent representative asked if the information shared on social media about the complaint that the Principal of Trung Vuong Primary School had contracted with a supplier to repeatedly bring dirty food into the school's boarding kitchen was correct or not? Or was it fabricated news, slander?

In the beginning, Ms. Nguyen Thai Quynh Nga said, "The incident that happened at the school recently was something that no one wanted... I apologize to the parents of boarding children and the parents of the whole school." Ms. Nga continued, "Today we are also very... happy (the parents were upset) because we were able to meet the parents in this hall to discuss some more issues that we discussed the other day."

Ms. Nga said the case is being investigated and verified by the police. When we have results, we and the authorities will send them to parents as soon as possible.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, a staff member at Trung Vuong Primary School's boarding kitchen, confirmed that the supplier had repeatedly brought dirty food into the boarding kitchen.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

At the meeting, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, a kitchen staff at Trung Vuong Primary School for the 2024-2025 school year, brought with her a complaint that had been posted online, along with pictures proving that dirty food was brought into the kitchen during the 2024-2025 school year.

Parents asked Ms. Nga to answer whether Ms. Thanh's complaint was true or false. If true, she must admit it. If false, they asked the authorities to prosecute Ms. Thanh for slander and fabrication.

Ms. Nga replied: "What Ms. Thanh wrote in the petition happened in the kitchen and we have resolved not to let the students eat. As for the final investigation results, we will notify the parents as soon as possible."

Parents' representatives pointed out that the principal's response to the questioning was not satisfactory.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh stated that she had worked in the kitchen team for 4 years. In the collective complaint signed by the kitchen team, there were people who had worked at the school for 16 years and 20 years. "Because of my moral conscience, I could not hide this matter for my own life, so I had to hide it and let the principal do something wrong. Here, I would like to confirm that the food was eaten by the children, not destroyed. I would like to confirm that this is the truth. If I say something wrong, I will take responsibility before the law," Ms. Thanh said.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, when the kitchen team reported that the supplier brought dirty food into the kitchen, the principal was forced not to inform anyone, including the two vice principals.

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Ms. Thanh added that when the kitchen team reported that the supplier had brought dirty food into the kitchen, the principal was forced not to inform anyone, including the two vice principals. Only the principal and the accountant knew. Ms. Thanh explained: "Because we are low-level workers, with a salary of only over 6 million VND/month, for the sake of our families. But our responsibility is to report immediately and not be complicit in feeding the children dirty food."

According to Ms. Thanh, during the school year, the kitchen team proposed many times to meet about the issue of food in the boarding kitchen, but the principal did not allow the meeting. When the kitchen team sent a petition to the school Party Committee, they were allowed to meet, but the meeting was on June 2, 2025, while the kitchen team's contract expired on May 31, 2025 (yearly contract) and could not be renewed. Through that meeting, all teachers in the school learned the truth about dirty food in the boarding kitchen. Before that, the teachers were completely unaware.

Mr. Nguyen Mau Ha, Chairman of Xuan Huong Ward People's Committee - Da Lat, delivered a speech at the end of the meeting.

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

Upon hearing that, Mr. Nguyen Mau Ha, Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat, stood up to end the meeting. Mr. Ha affirmed that "The ward and the authorities are investigating and clarifying, whoever is at fault will be handled accordingly. If it involves legal issues, the police will handle it, if there is an administrative violation, the authorities will consider handling it.

We are here today to listen to the opinions of parents. When we have the results of the police work, we will invite parents to give official feedback. We hope parents will share."

"We submitted the application more than a month ago but the ward did not invite us to verify."

Talking to reporters, Ms. Thanh said: "The kitchen team sent a complaint on August 11, 2025, to the People's Committee of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat and the leaders of the People's Committee of Lam Dong province, the Department of Education and Training, but for more than a month, the ward did not invite us to verify; it was not resolved." Therefore, she had to post on social networks to warn parents that their children had to eat dirty food in the boarding kitchen.

Also at the meeting, the parent of Nguyen Thanh Nghia, a third grader, showed the paper that Nghia was hospitalized for food poisoning on September 16 and discharged on September 17. He also questioned why the school hid this matter and who would compensate his child.

Hospital discharge papers of Nguyen Thanh Nghia, diagnosed with digestive disorders

PHOTO: LAM VIEN

As Thanh Nien reported, on September 16, Lam Dong Provincial Police and authorities of Xuan Huong Ward - Da Lat went to Trung Vuong Primary School to verify information shared on social networks about the complaint that the principal had contracted with a supplier to repeatedly bring dirty food into the boarding kitchen.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vu-thong-tin-thuc-pham-ban-vao-truong-hoc-nghe-hieu-truong-noi-phu-huynh-day-song-185250918233317682.htm