A80 training expense scandal: Principal of Hanoi College of Tourism admits negligence

Regarding the controversy over students being upset because they received only 940,000 VND for A80 training, while other schools paid from 1.6 to 2.2 million VND/student, Mr. Pham Van Long, Principal of Hanoi College of Tourism, frankly admitted: "This is the school's negligence in providing incomplete and untimely information to students."

The school organized an urgent dialogue.

On December 1, 2025, Hanoi College of Tourism organized a dialogue between students and the school to discuss and resolve problems.

At the dialogue, Mr. Pham Van Long, Principal of Hanoi College of Tourism, directly discussed and answered each A80 participation fee with students. The Principal encouraged students to ask directly and clearly to get answers.

When students asked: "Why is the amount clearly stated on the receipt for financial support?"

Mr. Pham Van Long explained: "Teachers think very simply that when students receive money, they write down the amount to confirm the amount they receive through their handwriting. However, teachers do not explain this, so students misunderstand that the school requires them to sign fake documents. To complete the payment, there are many documents and papers. The school would like to learn deeply from this issue," said the Principal of Hanoi College of Tourism.

On December 1, Hanoi College of Tourism organized a dialogue between students and the school to discuss and resolve problems. Photo: Ha Phuong

A female student asked a question. She and her friends wondered why the official document stating the payment for each A80 practice session stated 80,000 VND, not 60,000 VND as they received.

Mr. Pham Van Long informed that at first, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed to pay 80,000 VND for each training session, but later only 60,000 VND/session was approved. At the same time, Mr. Pham Van Long requested the General Administration Department to bring up the decision on this issue from the Ministry of Finance .

According to him, this is an approval fee for all schools participating in this event, possibly because the school did not inform the students in a timely manner.

Regarding the fact that students only received 940,000 VND in the first payment, the Principal frankly admitted that this was "the school's negligence" in the implementation of the work. Specifically, after the Principal approved the first payment plan on November 24 (because the school had just withdrawn cash from the State Treasury), the Head of the Student Affairs Department went on a business trip.

"The Head of the Student Affairs Department was on a business trip, so the information provided to his students was incomplete and untimely, leading to the unfortunate incident," the Principal explained.

The money was given to students "just like that" without explanation, making students think that this was the total amount of support. Principal Pham Van Long frankly admitted: "This was a mistake of the school when it did not provide timely and complete information to students."

Mr. Pham Van Long affirmed that the staff at home who made the payment did not fully understand and disseminate the document previously approved by the Principal. This document clearly stated the payment plan in two installments: the first installment was 940,000 VND and the second installment was 580,000 VND to be paid at the honoring ceremony.

Details of the support

Talking about the details of the support for students participating in the A80 program, Mr. Pham Van Long said that the students participated in a total of 22 sessions, including 17 normal rehearsal sessions, 3 preliminary and final rehearsal sessions, and 2 official sessions.

According to the policy, 17 practice sessions are paid 60,000 VND/session; 3 preliminary and final rehearsal sessions are 180,000 VND/session and 2 official sessions are 200,000 VND/session.

The total amount of money spent for students participating in these three categories is 1,960,000 VND. The government takes care of expenses such as transportation and drinking water, but the food expenses are taken from the student allowance, Mr. Long informed.

At school, the cost of a main meal is 30,000 VND and a snack is 10,000 VND/student. The number of days of spending on meals is 11 days (including 1 main meal and 1 snack) which is 440,000 VND/student. Thus, the remaining allowance students receive is 1,520,000 VND.

In response to questions about why student volunteers receive higher amounts of money, Mr. Pham Van Long said that student volunteers belong to a different group and have different spending levels.

Students participate in a direct dialogue with school leaders.

Another student asked a question regarding the issue of the school taking students' account numbers but giving out cash?

The school explained that the number of participating students was nearly 1,000, and the school had advanced money for meals, so if they transferred money, students would have to return the advance payment to the school.

Therefore, to make it more convenient for students, the school pays cash. The amount of money the students receive is 1,960,000 VND, minus the cost of food for 11 days which is 440,000 VND, the actual amount the students receive is 1,520,000 VND, Mr. Pham Van Long emphasized.

At the dialogue, Mr. Pham Van Long made a commitment to strengthen the direct information channel. The Principal made public his personal phone number and committed to handling students' feedback within 24 hours (or 48 hours if on a business trip), affirming: "All of your opinions will be listened to in an open-minded manner, with respect for your opinions."

Regarding the issue of rewards, due to the diverse opinions of students, the Principal proposed to continue listening to students' opinions until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (January 2, 2025). The school committed to soon have an official announcement and publicize relevant documents to ensure all issues are clarified.

* Previously, on social media, an anonymous account claiming to be a student at a college in Hanoi, who participated in the A80 program (Celebration of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2) questioned the amount of support for this training session.

According to the post, students from other schools received 1.6 million VND in support for this training session, but your school only received 940,000 VND in cash. At the same time, the receipt did not specify the amount.

Meanwhile, the number of practice sessions for students of different schools is the same, meals and transportation are the same.

Anonymous account posts content on social media. Screenshot

According to this student, the receiving regime is different while the time spent practicing is the same, so the student raised 3 issues: First, is it correct for students to sign the receipt but not write down the amount? Second, why is the support level between schools almost twice as different for the same program? Finally, is there any school facing a similar situation?

The writer affirms that he does not intend to criticize the school but only wants to clarify the issue because the money students receive support is state funding.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/lum-xum-khoan-chi-tap-luyen-a80-hieu-truong-truong-cao-dang-du-lich-ha-noi-thua-nhan-so-suat-238251201102354025.htm