Surprised with '17k meal' for boarding students

In recent days, images of stainless steel trays of food have been circulating on social media, each serving includes white rice, stir-fried vegetables, meat, eggs and a bowl of soup. The neat and attractive meal is no different from a family meal.

Through investigation, the boarding meal is for students of Thai Son Primary School (Van Hien commune, Nghe An province), with the price of only 17 thousand VND/meal.

Students of Thai Son Primary School with their boarding meals

After being posted on social networks, the images of the "17,000 VND meal" quickly attracted attention, with many hoping that this economical, clean, and nutritious boarding model will be replicated in schools.

On the afternoon of September 17, Ms. Hoang Thi Thao, Principal of Thai Son Primary School, said that in the 2025-2026 school year, the school has 708 students, of which more than 630 students registered for boarding. The school has maintained boarding for many years.

A full meal for only 17,000 VND is causing a stir on social networks.

Each meal costs 17,000 VND, not including cooking and serving costs. To provide quality meals, the school creates a weekly menu. Each week there are four different menus to avoid duplication.

In addition, the school also strictly manages from the stage of receiving food, processing to the kitchen, all have surveillance cameras, image data is stored. Parents can directly check when needed.

Lunch for 17,000 VND with sweet and salty braised white mackerel, stir-fried vegetables, sesame and peanuts, garden vegetable soup with minced meat

“We just hope that the students have nutritious meals, but we didn’t expect such widespread attention. Actually, being a boarding school is a responsibility, we just hope that the children eat well, finish their meals so that their parents can rest assured and have enough nutrition to study,” Ms. Thao shared.