Vietnam school and hospital meal support initiatives

The Vietnamese government has introduced several proposals aimed at improving meal services and nutritional support in educational and medical settings.

In September 2026, Deputy Minister of Finance Le Tan Can presented a proposal to the National Assembly Standing Committee to grant tax exemptions for businesses and individuals providing meal services to schools and hospitals. The initiative seeks to encourage higher food safety standards and quality by waiving corporate income tax on income derived from these specific services, while also providing personal income tax exemptions for individual business owners.

Following this, the Ministry of Education and Training proposed a draft decree to expand lunch support for students in ethnic minority, mountainous, coastal, and island areas. This policy aims to reduce financial burdens on families and increase school attendance. Notably, the proposal expands coverage to include primary and lower secondary students who only eat lunch at school, rather than just those staying overnight at boarding schools, to accommodate two-session-per-day teaching models.