Vu Thu Ha, vice-chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, chairs a meeting about food safety, April 15, 2026. Photo: H.Linh
Addressing a meeting on Wednesday, Vu Thu Ha, vice-chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, emphasized that food safety must be managed continuously and transparently.
She called for stricter monitoring, stronger use of technology, and greater consumer awareness.
Vu Cao Cuong, deputy head of the Hanoi Department of Health, reported that local authorities fined 927 establishments more than VND5.9 billion (US$225,000) for food safety violations in recent months.
Police also pressed charges against 10 suspects for allegedly producing and selling counterfeit food products.
Ha stressed that food safety management must be transparent, with meal menus and ingredients in schools made public for parents.
She said food businesses should install surveillance cameras and be ready to provide records during inspections.
“Each unit must protect itself through transparency and accountability,” the vice-chairwoman added.
The Vietnamese capital plans to pilot 100 AI cameras capable of 24/7 monitoring and automatic detection of violations.
Officials also aim to expand QR code scanning at market stalls and operate hotline number 1022, extension 8, to receive public complaints.
In addition, Hanoi will build an international-standard food testing center in Ha Dong Ward with an estimated budget of VND312 billion ($11.8 million).
Officials said these measures are part of the city’s broader campaign to address long-standing bottlenecks in food safety management and improve public confidence in the food supply.
In mid-March, Hanoi police cracked down on a major food safety ring involving nearly 300 metric tons of diseased pork illegally slaughtered and sold to markets and school canteens.
Investigators later launched criminal proceedings against eight suspects, including veterinary quarantine officials, for their alleged involvement in this diseased pork scandal.
Speaking at a press briefing on April 6, Lieutenant Colonel Vu Thi Hoang Yen, deputy head of the Hanoi police department’s economic police unit, revealed that the suspects had distributed approximately 3,600 diseased pigs, equivalent to about 300 metric tons of contaminated pork, to the market since the start of this year.
“These products were supplied to kitchens at 26 elementary schools and several private preschools in Hanoi and neighboring provinces,” Yen said.
