On August 11, the Hanoi People’s Committee issued a directive to implement Resolution 18 of the city People’s Council, outlining the mechanism for lunch subsidies. The Department of Education and Training will inform parents, guide schools in compiling student lists, and prepare budget estimates.

The Department of Finance will coordinate with relevant agencies to guide the allocation and settlement of state budget funds. The State Treasury will assist schools in opening accounts, processing payments, and handling advances.

The city’s tax department will instruct and inspect schools providing lunch services to ensure tax compliance. Meanwhile, the Department of Health will issue nutritional guidelines to guarantee adequate energy and nutrients for students’ learning and physical development.

Local authorities will oversee implementation to ensure the subsidies are delivered to eligible students transparently and in compliance with the law.

Hanoi plans to spend over 3 trillion VND (about 118 million USD) to support meals for roughly 768,000 students - 2.824 trillion VND for public schools and 239 billion VND for private ones. Students in mountainous areas and river-island communes will receive 30,000 VND (about 1.18 USD) per day, while those in other areas will get 20,000 VND (about 0.79 USD).

The city currently has 778 primary schools - 728 public and 50 private.

Thuy Nga