Hanoi expands subsidized school lunches to 633,000 primary students and launches HanoiCheck database

More than 633,000 primary‑school pupils in Hanoi, representing about 84% of the city’s enrollment, have received free subsidised meals under the municipal policy adopted in 2025. The programme, covering nearly all public schools and the majority of private ones, has raised nutrition standards, with most children gaining 1‑5 cm in height and 1‑3.3 kg in weight, while rates of under‑nutrition have fallen. The city spent roughly VND 2.56 trillion for the 2025‑2026 school year, and 99.86% of schools reported full implementation.

On 28 July, Hanoi officials unveiled HanoiCheck, a city‑wide digital database for school‑meal nutrition and food‑safety management. The system will be deployed in 100% of schools that provide lunch by the 2026‑2027 academic year. HanoiCheck consolidates electronic nutrition records, supplier management, AI‑driven kitchen monitoring, a parent app, and a city‑level dashboard to improve transparency, oversight and food‑safety compliance.

The combined initiatives aim to ensure safe, nutritious meals for all students, reduce household food‑budget pressures, and modernise the city’s school‑lunch administration through digital tools.