During a meeting with voters in Hanoi on April 17, Party General Secretary To Lam suggested that the city should consider providing free school lunches to around 1.2 to 1.3 million primary and lower secondary school students, starting from the 2025-2026 academic year.

The comment came as part of a voter outreach session ahead of the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly, where General Secretary To Lam and Hanoi-based lawmakers met with constituents from Ba Dinh, Dong Da, and Hai Ba Trung districts.

While addressing national matters, the Party leader also gave specific recommendations for the capital city. He emphasized that Hanoi “must not compromise on food safety,” as such issues not only affect public health but also damage the city's reputation and quality of urban life.

Referring to the recent discovery of counterfeit medicines and milk, he called on the Government to step up efforts to address the situation, noting that voters are especially concerned about hygiene and food safety. This is particularly pressing in areas with makeshift markets and street vendors selling unlabeled or expired food products.

He advised the city to develop a detailed strategy to tackle the problem, especially with regards to unauthorized street vending, which not only disrupts urban aesthetics and order but also makes hygiene enforcement more difficult.

“Hanoi must intensify inspections and enforce strict measures,” To Lam urged.

He added that the development of culinary streets is welcome, but such areas must be well-organized and meet hygiene standards. “We’re not banning street food, but the environment for it must be safe and proper,” he said.

Free school lunches and holistic education

Touching on education, the Party chief encouraged the city to continue improving the quality of teaching and learning while focusing on the comprehensive development of children.

He proposed that Hanoi consider a policy to provide free lunches at school, which would help ease the burden on families and reduce the need for parents to pick up and drop off children during lunchtime.

With Hanoi currently home to about 1.2–1.3 million students at the primary and lower secondary levels, he suggested the city study the feasibility of implementing such a program in tandem with the existing free tuition policy starting in the 2025–2026 school year.

To Lam also emphasized the importance of reducing academic pressure and allowing students more time for play, creativity, and non-academic pursuits. He proposed a balanced schedule - core academic subjects in the morning and enrichment activities like English or the arts in the afternoon.

“I previously suggested to the Ministry of Education and Training that each child, by the time they graduate, should be able to play at least one musical instrument - be it the flute, the guitar, or the violin - depending on their talent. Children living in peace should be able to enjoy such privileges,” he shared.

“These are just suggestions for consideration. But I believe the public would strongly support such initiatives,” the General Secretary concluded.

Tran Thuong