Twenty-eight students from the mountainous district of Khanh Son in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam were hospitalized on Tuesday due to suspected food poisoning after consuming food from a street vendor in front of a local middle school.

Many students of kindergartens and elementary and middle schools in To Hap Town, Khanh Son District exhibited symptoms of fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and stomach ache after eating rice rolls and rice balls bought from the peddler, Bui Thi Luong, in front of To Hap Town Middle School, according to a report by the medical center of Khanh Son District.

Luong claimed to have made the dishes herself.

She prepared 114 rice balls and 28 rice rolls on Tuesday, the Khanh Son District Medical Center informed.

Bui Xuan Minh, director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Health, said the students are under treatment and are in stable condition.

Minh pointed out the difficulty in controlling street vendors, emphasizing the necessity for cooperation among relevant agencies.

He added that street vendors often handle materials without undergoing proper checks, significantly increasing the risk of food poisoning.

Local authorities are testing food samples and the students' medical waste.

Khanh Hoa Province has recently witnessed several cases of food poisoning. 

Most recently, a case occurred at Vinh Truong Elementary School and Tran Hung Dao Middle School in Nha Trang City on Friday last week, killing a grade-five student and causing over 30 others to be hospitalized.

They had consumed chicken rice, bread with shredded chicken, and fried egg bread.

In another case at Nguyen Van Troi High School, also in Nha Trang City, 10 students were hospitalized after eating chicken rice and spaghetti purchased from a vendor near the school on March 29. 

In mid-March, nearly 370 people were hospitalized for food poisoning after downing chicken rice at Tram Anh Restaurant on Ba Trieu Street in the coastal city.

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