Vietnamese School Meal Supply Chains
Description
This dataset accompanies the study entitled "Ceremonial Compliance and Food Safety Governance: Evidence from Vietnamese School Meal Supply Chains." It provides the primary qualitative data used to investigate food safety governance, institutional practices, and public food procurement within Vietnamese school meal supply chains. The dataset consists of a complete collection of Vietnamese-language transcripts (mổ băng) derived from five investigative television reports broadcast by national media organizations, namely Vietnam Television (VTV) and the People's Police Television (ANTV), between 2024 and 2026. These reports document major food safety incidents involving school meal procurement and supply chains in several localities, including Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City. The transcripts capture the perspectives and interactions of 28 stakeholders (N = 28) representing multiple actors across the school meal supply chain, including: • Regulatory and enforcement officials (e.g., quarantine officers and food safety inspectors); • School administrators (e.g., principals and accounting staff); • Food suppliers (e.g., catering contractors, food processors, and business owners); • Parents, teachers, and students; • Legal and food safety experts. The transcripts preserve the original Vietnamese dialogue from the investigative reports and provide detailed accounts of procurement practices, supplier selection, food processing, regulatory oversight, inspection activities, and stakeholder responses to food safety incidents. As an authentic qualitative data source, the dataset offers rich empirical evidence for examining governance processes, institutional practices, and food safety risks within public school meal procurement systems in a transitioning economy.