A certain number of eateries offering chicken rice in Nha Trang City, a popular beach destination in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam, has shut down over poor sales, following many suspected food poisoning incidents linked to chicken dishes in the area.

Several markets in the city saw a few stalls of chicken open on Wednesday, according to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters’ observation.

Some chicken merchants at Xom Moi Market said that each of them could sell 20 chickens or more a day before several food poisoning cases reportedly caused by consuming chicken-based dishes were detected.

Nguyen Thi Cuc, head of the management board of the market, said that chicken imports at all four stalls at the market have dipped 60 percent.

Cuc also underlined that the management board daily inspects the quality of chicken and marks it for its clear origin.

She also reassured residents about purchasing chicken from Xom Moi Market. 

Meanwhile, Dam Nha Trang Market had only two vendors selling live chickens on Wednesday, as others closed their stalls due to slack demand, following several food poisoning cases.

An absence of customers has led many restaurants and eateries serving chicken dishes to temporarily shut down.

According to the owner of Chicken Rice Eatery 78 on Le Dai Hanh Street, she was told a few days ago that an intersectoral inspection team would check all restaurants and eateries in Nha Trang.

Several food poisoning cases have occurred in the city, frightening diners, said Nguyen Thi Thai Thoan, the owner of Ut Chicken Rice Eatery on Yersin Street.

“My eatery was temporarily closed, waiting for the situation to improve,” Thoan added.

Due to sluggish sales, live chicken and chicken meat vendors at many markets in Nha Trang expected local authorities to promptly clarify the cause of the recent food poisoning cases and find the origin of chicken used in the dishes allegedly causing these scandals.

Tran Thanh Thuy, deputy head of the Khanh Hoa Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, said that residents should not be worried about such food poisoning cases. 

The sub-department frequently sends dispatches to slaughterhouses asking them to follow the regulations on food safety and veterinary hygiene, and marking meat for its quality.

Trinh Ngoc Hiep, deputy director of the provincial Department of Health, noted that the current hot weather makes it easier for bacteria to grow, so consumers should select food and store meat and vegetables carefully.

Over the past month, Nha Trang has recorded several cases of food poisoning linked to chicken dishes. 

Specifically, a case occurred at Vinh Truong Elementary School and Tran Hung Dao Middle School in Nha Trang on April 5, 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 mid-March, nearly 370 people were hospitalized for suspected food poisoning after consuming chicken rice at Tram Anh Restaurant located on Ba Trieu Street in the city.

Ten students at Nguyen Van Troi High School were hospitalized after consuming chicken rice and spaghetti purchased from a vendor near the school on March 29.

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