Phu Thuan authorities order school to apologize after parents allege health neglect

A local government official has ordered a school to release its catering contracts and issue a formal apology following a heated meeting where parents accused administrators of ignoring student health issues and signs of food poisoning.

Duong Thi Cam Hong, Vice Chairwoman of the Phu Thuan Ward People’s Committee, presided over the meeting and recorded testimony from angry parents regarding illnesses linked to school-provided meals.

Hong directed school officials to immediately publicize all contract records with Sago Food, the school’s meal provider, to all parents. She also mandated that the school submit a comprehensive report to the ward committee detailing every food poisoning incident recorded since the start of the previous school year.

The vice chairwoman further ordered the school’s principal, Ms. Nhien, to issue a formal letter of apology to parents. The apology must address the administrative "shortcomings" that led to the current grievances, Hong said.

The recent food safety lapse in Phu Thuan ward is no isolated incident, but rather a symptom of a systemic crisis plaguing Vietnam's school catering sector. The case highlights a deepening deficit of trust among parents regarding the ability of educational institutions to safeguard students, particularly as essential services like meal provision are increasingly outsourced to third-party private vendors.

Collective parental pressure has reached a tipping point, effectively compelling local authorities to intervene. The subsequent demand for contract transparency and comprehensive reporting serves as a tacit admission of significant oversight gaps within the current regulatory framework. Notably, the mandate for a formal public apology from the school principal underscores a pivot toward individual accountability—a move rarely seen in previous administrative responses to similar public health failures.

At its core, this crisis stems from a persistent lack of transparency and a breakdown in accountability across both private contractors and educational administrations. Until Vietnam establishes independent monitoring mechanisms and rigorously enforces safety standards, these systemic vulnerabilities will continue to jeopardize student welfare.

While this incident has no direct impact on the nail salon industry or the flow of remittances, it reflects a deep and pervasive concern within the community: the health and safety of relatives, especially children, still in Vietnam. In the phở restaurants of Little Saigon, stories of food safety are a constant topic of conversation, highlighting the persistent anxiety the diaspora feels regarding the everyday risks their families face—whether they are waiting on F2B visas or simply going about their lives back home.