Every morning and afternoon, it’s a common sight: Schoolchildren crowding around pushcarts or roadside stalls packed with snacks. From processed treats like skewered grilled meat, deep-fried fish balls, and fried fermented pork rolls to prepackaged candy, soft drinks, and dried fruits, these snacks are everywhere, especially near school zones. Notably, many of these products come in colorful, eye-catching packaging printed only in foreign languages, with no Vietnamese labeling or unclear information.

The appeal is obvious: vibrant packaging, tantalizing smells, and bargain prices. Most items cost just VND 2,000-10,000, making them easily accessible to kids. For example, a small skewer may cost 2,000 VND, a larger one VND 8,000-10,000, and a cup of soft drink between VND 5,000-10,000. Prepackaged snacks typically range from VND 2,000 to 5,000. Low prices are one of the main reasons why school-gate snacks attract students, even though there are no guarantees of food safety or hygiene.

Although these snacks are popular, most students, especially those in primary school, lack adequate knowledge of food safety. When asked about these issues, many gave similar responses: “These snacks taste really good and they’re cheap too. After school, we usually buy some while waiting for our parents. We don’t really pay attention to where they come from, if it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”

As for the street vendors and shopkeepers, when questioned about the origin and quality of the food they sell, most gave vague answers. They say they only stock these products because students like them and they’re affordable. As for where they come from, they claim not to know, adding that if many other shops around schools are selling them, it must be fine.

While there haven’t yet been any reported cases of food poisoning linked to these school-gate snacks in Điện Biên province, similar incidents have occurred in other parts of the country. For example, on April 9, 2025, in Đô Lương district (Nghệ An province), 12 primary school students experienced stomach pain and vomiting after eating sticky rice from a sidewalk vendor. In another case, a fifth-grader from Vĩnh Trường Primary School in Nha Trang (Khánh Hòa province) collapsed after eating breakfast at a food stall near the school gate. Despite emergency aid and hospital care, the student died from respiratory and circulatory failure.

These incidents have raised alarm among parents, schools, and the wider community. Street snacks can no longer be dismissed as harmless indulgences.

Recently, local authorities in Điện Biên destroyed over 200 kilograms of unregulated food products, including chicken feet, various types of sausages, candies, pickled radishes, and milk. Most of these items had packaging printed in foreign languages, mostly Chinese, and lacked the required Vietnamese labels. The vendors were unable to present invoices or documents verifying the origin of the products.

According to Trần Ngọc Diệp, Deputy Chief Inspector of the provincial Department of health, what’s particularly concerning is that many of these products are widely available at small shops near schools. Their primary consumers are students, a group easily drawn in by colorful packaging and cheap prices but vulnerable to the health risks of unsafe food. He also noted that most of these unregulated goods are sold by small-scale vendors, and the limited funding available makes it difficult to collect and test food samples regularly.

With unsafe snacks being openly sold outside schools, many parents are left anxious and unsure of how to protect their children, aside from forbidding them to buy such food.

Nguyễn Phương Dung, a resident of Residential Quarter No.11 in Thanh Bình ward, Điện Biên Phủ city, shared her concerns: “I’m not being overly strict, but I never give my child money to buy snacks on the way to or from school. I’ve seen how unsafe some of the food sold near school gates looks. Still, I can’t completely control whether my child eats it or not, especially when they’re with friends. That really worries me.”

Consuming food of unknown origin can lead to poisoning, allergic reactions, or long-term health issues, especially in children. Therefore, stricter regulation of the food market and raising public awareness is an urgent task. Alongside efforts from authorities and schools, parents need to pay close attention to how their children use money and teach them how to choose safe food. Only through a joint effort can we eliminate the persistent risks posed by school-gate snacks before it’s too late.