The suspension affects schools in Ho Chi Minh City, stemming from an incident where 46 students from Dang Thuy Tram Primary School were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning. All affected students consumed industrial meals provided by a company in Tan Thuan ward. Previously, in late April, students and caregivers at Dang Thuy Tram Primary School experienced symptoms of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea after a meal at the school.

To Thanh Liem, principal of Dinh Bo Linh School in Tan My ward, stated on the morning of 5/5 that approximately 1,300 students at his school ceased semi-boarding meals yesterday. The school has transitioned to a single-session day after receiving consent from most parents.

"Given the current hot weather, with temperatures between 35 and 37 degrees C, it would be difficult for parents to make four trips daily for pickups and drop-offs", Liem explained. He added that all extracurricular activities and afternoon classes have been cancelled. Instead, the number of morning classes increased from 4 to 5 periods, with students now leaving between 11:00 and 11:20, about 30 minutes later than before.

In the afternoons, students will self-study at home with guidance from teachers. Some classes will receive tutoring on saturday mornings. Since students are currently reviewing for their end-of-semester II exams, Liem believes the afternoon break will not affect the curriculum.

Tan Hung Primary School, Tran Quoc Tuan Secondary School (Tan Hung ward), and Dang Thuy Tram Primary School (Tan Thuan ward) have implemented similar measures. Tran Quoc Tuan Secondary School has specifically announced the suspension will last until the end of the academic year. The total number of students affected across these four schools exceeds 5,000.

Liem noted that semi-boarding activities will remain suspended until authorities release their conclusions regarding the incident at Dang Thuy Tram Primary School, though the academic year has only three weeks remaining.

Parents pick up students from Dang Thuy Tram Primary School, Tan Thuan ward, at midday on 29/4. *Photo: Nguyet Minh*

This incident follows a similar event one month ago, where semi-boarding meals at Binh Quoi Tay Primary School in Binh Quoi ward were believed to be the cause of food poisoning affecting 266 students. This school and several neighboring schools also had to suspend semi-boarding for many days, subsequently being advised by authorities to change their meal providers.

Le Nguyen