School Meal Safety Governance

The dataset comprises verbatim Vietnamese-language transcripts derived from five independent investigative television documentaries broadcast by national media networks in Vietnam, specifically Vietnam Television (VTV) and the People's Police Television (ANTV), between 2024 and 2026. These reports investigate major food safety incidents and systemic vulnerabilities within school meal procurement and supply chains across diverse institutional localities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ninh Binh, and Thai Nguyen. The transcripts capture the verbatim accounts, perspectives, and interactions of 28 distinct stakeholders (N = 28) involved across multiple stages of the school food system. To ensure confidentiality and align with ethical research practices regarding secondary public data, all stakeholder identities have been meticulously anonymized (coded as R1–R28). These stakeholders represent six key groups: • Regulatory and enforcement officials (e.g., quarantine officers and food safety inspectors) • School management (e.g., principals and accounting staff) • Food suppliers and intermediaries (e.g., catering contractors, processors, and business owners) • Parents of students • Direct staff and beneficiaries (e.g., kitchen workers and students) • Subject-matter experts The dataset preserves the original Vietnamese dialogue, providing detailed, grounded accounts of procurement practices, supplier selection, food processing, regulatory oversight, inspection activities, and stakeholder responses to foodborne incidents. As an authentic qualitative data source, these transcripts offer rich empirical evidence for examining governance mechanisms, institutional voids, and food safety risk transmission within public school meal programs in a transitioning economy.