Vietnamese Women's Day on 20th October is an occasion to honour and express appreciation for the important women in our lives, from female teachers, staff, and employees at schools to the mothers who are always there to support students. Alongside school celebrations and activities, a special meal can also become a meaningful experience, helping students feel a greater sense of care and appreciation on this occasion.
This article suggests 20/10 dishes suitable for schools, along with important considerations when planning a school menu. The aim is to give students a fresh dining experience while maintaining the quality of every meal.
The Meaning of Vietnamese Women's Day on 20th October for Students
Vietnamese Women's Day on 20th October allows students to learn about the importance of honouring and appreciating the women around them. In the school environment, it is also an opportunity for students to show their care and gratitude to their mothers, teachers, and female staff members through appropriate activities.
School meals can also become part of the atmosphere of the occasion. A thoughtfully prepared menu featuring special dishes or a different presentation style can give students a new dining experience, while making 20 October feel more meaningful and memorable as part of their everyday school life.
Women's Day (20th October) Menu Ideas for Students at School
Compared with the regular daily menu, 20th October dishes can feature different cooking methods, colours, and presentation styles to give students a fresh dining experience. However, the menu should still include all essential food groups, provide age-appropriate portions, and be practical to prepare and serve on a large scale.
Menu 1 - Mackerel with Lemon Butter Sauce and Mashed Potatoes
- Main dish: Pan-seared mackerel with lemon butter sauce and mashed potatoes
- Side dish: Boiled winter melon and carrots
- Soup: Pumpkin soup
- Dessert: Seasonal fruit
This meal combines mackerel with lemon butter sauce and mashed potatoes instead of steamed rice, creating a fresh change while remaining suitable for a school meal. The mild richness of butter and gentle acidity of lemon can make the fish more appealing, while mashed potatoes offer a different texture and presentation compared with the usual rice. When serving, the school can shape the mashed potatoes and vegetables into flowers or arrange them by colour to create an extra visual touch for the 20/10 meal.
Menu 2 - Crab Stick Sandwich, Salad and Fruit
- Main dish: Crab stick sandwich with mayonnaise
- Side dish: Vegetable salad
- Dessert: Melon and mango
A sandwich is a suitable option if the school wants to create a light, celebratory meal instead of the usual rice-based meal. The vegetable salad adds colour and vegetables to the meal, while melon and mango provide natural sweetness for dessert. The combination of different colours from the bread, vegetables, and fruit can also make the woman’s day dining table more visually appealing without requiring elaborate decorations.
Menu 3 - Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
- Main dish: Rosemary-roasted chicken thigh
- Side dish: Stir-fried napa cabbage with mushrooms
- Soup: Pumpkin soup with prawns
- Dessert: Seasonal fruit
Rosemary-roasted chicken thigh offers a different preparation method from the chicken dishes commonly found on daily school menus. The chicken can be served with stir-fried napa cabbage and mushroom and pumpkin soup with prawns to create a meal with a variety of ingredients and cooking methods.
The school can use colourful vegetables to garnish the chicken, creating the feel of a small celebration and making the dish stand out for the 20th October occasion.
Menu 4 - Napolitana Pasta and Vegetable Salad
- Main dish: Pasta with Napolitana sauce
- Side dish: Choice of salad
- Soup: Spinach soup
- Dessert: Drinking yoghurt
Tomato-sauce pasta can replace rice in a 20th October meal while adding appealing colour to the portion. The pasta can be combined with finely chopped vegetables to increase the variety of ingredients and colours. When serving, the school can arrange the salad in separate colour groups or create simple shapes to make the meal more lively and suited to the special atmosphere of 20/10.
Menu 5 - Vegetable Rice Rolls and Teriyaki Tofu
- Main dish: Rice rolls with cucumber, carrot and avocado, teriyaki tofu
- Soup: Seaweed soup
- Dessert: Seasonal fruit
Rice rolls are compact and colourful, making them suitable for creating a different feel for a special meal. The school can cut the rolls into small pieces and arrange them in the shape of a flower or circle on the tray to create a more festive Women’s Day atmosphere. Seaweed soup and seasonal fruit complete the meal while keeping the serving style simple and practical for school meal service.
Menu 6 - Stir-Fried Udon with Vegetables and Pan-Seared Tofu
- Main dish: Udon stir-fried with bok choy, baby corn and carrots, pan-seared tofu
- Soup: Pumpkin soup
- Dessert: Banana
Stir-fried udon is another option for changing up the usual rice or noodle dishes served as part of a 20/10 meal. The udon can be stir-fried with bok choy, baby corn and carrots to add variety in colour and texture, paired with pan-seared tofu to complete the main dish.
When serving, the udon can be portioned into manageable servings and the vegetables arranged by colour to make the main dish the centrepiece of the women’s day meal.
Menu 7 - Vegetable and Cheese Pizza with Pumpkin Soup
- Main dish: Pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, corn, mushrooms and bell peppers
- Side dish: Pumpkin soup
- Dessert: Seasonal fruit
Pizza can create the feel of a small celebration and offer a change from the dishes typically served at school. The pizza base can be topped with tomato sauce and cheese, along with corn, mushrooms and bell peppers to create a variety of colours. The pizza can be cut into small, portion-appropriate pieces, while the corn, mushrooms and colourful bell peppers can be arranged in simple patterns to make the meal more visually appealing and suited to the 20/10 atmosphere.
Menu 8 - Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli with Vegetables and Tofu Patties
- Main dish: Rice vermicelli stir-fried with mushrooms, sweet-leaf mustard greens and carrots, pan-seared tofu patties
- Soup: Pumpkin soup
- Dessert: Orange
Stir-fried rice vermicelli is another way to vary the source of carbohydrates in a 20/10 meal while maintaining the structure of a complete meal. The vermicelli is stir-fried with mushrooms, sweet-leaf mustard greens, and carrots, adding a variety of colours and more vegetables to the meal.
Pan-seared tofu patties add another highlight to the main dish in both flavour and appearance. The school can garnish the meal with finely cut vegetables or arrange them in a flower shape to suit the Vietnamese Women's Day theme.
Menu 9 - Thai-Style Tamarind Fish Fillet and Vegetables
- Main dish: Thai-style tamarind fish fillet with mashed potatoes
- Side dish: Boiled zucchini and carrots
- Soup: Pumpkin soup
- Dessert: Mango
Thai-style tamarind fish fillet can replace familiar braised or fried fish dishes, bringing a new flavour to the 20/10 meal. The fish can be served with mashed potatoes for a different presentation, while boiled zucchini and carrots add vegetables and colour to the meal. The mashed potatoes can be shaped into flowers or hearts using moulds, adding a festive touch suited to the occasion.
Menu 10 - French-Style Braised Chicken and Bread
- Main dish: French-style braised chicken, soft bread
- Side dish: Boiled broccoli and carrots
- Soup: Amaranth and Malabar spinach soup
- Dessert: Melon
Braised chicken served with bread can give students the feeling of attending a small family-style celebration rather than having the usual rice-based meal in the school canteen. The braised chicken can be portioned into manageable servings and served with soft bread for easy eating.
Boiled broccoli and carrots add vegetables while also bringing colour to the food tray. The bread can be cut into small, manageable pieces and arranged with colourful vegetables to make the tray more visually appealing.
Menu 11 - Crispy Fried Prawns and Vegetable Salad
- Main dish: Crispy fried prawns with cocktail sauce
- Side dish: Vegetable salad
- Soup: Sweet-leaf mustard greens soup
- Dessert: Melon and dragon fruit
The prawns can be served with cocktail sauce and vegetable salad to create a more balanced meal while adding colour to the food tray. Melon and dragon fruit bring additional bright colours to the dessert. The prawns can be arranged in an arc or combined with vegetables in a flower shape to suit the 20/10 theme.
Menu 12 - Korean-Style Rice Rolls and Seaweed Soup
- Main dish: Korean-style rice rolls, teriyaki-glazed grilled chicken
- Side dish: Boiled vegetables
- Soup: Seaweed soup
- Dessert: Watermelon
Instead of serving rice in the usual way, the rice is rolled and cut into small pieces, giving the meal a more distinctive presentation. The colourful rice roll pieces can also be arranged in the shape of a flower on the tray, creating a presentation suited to the Women’s Day atmosphere.
Menu 13 - Tomato Pasta and Chicken Meatballs
- Main dish: Pasta with tomato sauce and chicken meatballs
- Side dish: Vegetable salad
- Dessert: Melon and mango
Pasta with tomato sauce and chicken meatballs is another option for changing up the main dish in a 20/10 meal. The chicken meatballs can be portioned into small, bite-sized pieces that are easy for students to eat. A colourful salad makes the food tray more appealing, while melon and mango add more colour to the dessert. The pasta can be garnished with vegetables cut into flower shapes, or moulds can be used to shape the chicken meatballs, making the meal more suitable for the festive atmosphere.
Menu 14 - Cheese-Stuffed Chicken and Vegetable Rice
- Main dish: Cheese-stuffed chicken, vegetable rice
- Side dish: Purple cabbage and sweet corn salad
- Soup: Minced pork and sweet potato leaves soup
- Dessert: Dragon fruit and kiwi
Cheese-stuffed chicken served with vegetable rice creates a familiar meal with a different presentation. The chicken can be cut into small slices for easier eating, while the vegetable rice adds more colour to the main dish. Dragon fruit and kiwi bring fresh, bright colours to the dessert, making them a suitable addition to a 20/10 menu.
Menu 15 - Seafood Thick Rice Noodles and Fresh Fruit
- Main dish: Thick rice noodles with seafood
- Side dish: Boiled vegetables
- Dessert: Dragon fruit and melon
For a simpler menu, seafood thick rice noodles can replace a regular rice-based meal without requiring major changes to the serving process. As a complete noodle soup, it can be served with boiled vegetables to add more vegetables to the meal, along with fresh fruit for dessert.
Dragon fruit and melon also add colour to the food tray, giving a simple menu a festive touch that suits a 20/10 meal.
How to Create a Suitable 20/10 Menu for Schools
Prioritise Nutrition and Age-Appropriate Portions
Even when designed for a special occasion, a Women’s Day menu still needs to meet the nutritional standards expected of a school meal. Each portion should include a combination of food groups such as carbohydrates, protein, vegetables and fruit to provide students with a range of nutrients. In addition to the ingredients used, portion sizes should also be adjusted according to the age and dietary needs of different student groups.
Combine the Menu with the 20/10 Theme
Schools do not need to completely change their everyday menus to create a special 20/10 meal. A few suitable dishes or simple presentation ideas can be enough to give the meal a festive touch. Foods with natural colours and ingredients that are easy to shape, such as pizza, sandwiches, rice rolls, vegetables and fruit, can be used to highlight the theme.
Presentation can also be changed in simple ways, such as creating flower or heart shapes or arranging ingredients by colour. Schools can add cards, messages or suitable tray decorations to enhance the 20/10 atmosphere. These small changes can give students a fresh dining experience without significantly affecting the meal preparation and serving process.
The Caterers – School Catering Solutions
With more than 20 years of experience in school catering, The Caterers supports schools in developing and operating menus based on a range of practical considerations, rather than focusing only on the distribution of food groups. Menus can be adjusted according to students’ ages, energy needs, food preferences, school schedules, food allergy requirements and the operating conditions of the school canteen. This approach helps make meals more suitable for the characteristics of each school and different student groups.
Alongside menu planning, The Caterers has a professional team of chefs and a modern kitchen system designed to serve meals on a large scale. Preparation and cooking processes are carefully managed to maintain food quality, food hygiene and safety, and consistency throughout meal service.
Contact The Caterers:
- Hotline: 028 3812 6901
- Email: sales@thecaterers.vn
- Website: www.thecaterers.vn
- Address: 15-15A Do Cong Tuong, Tan Son Nhi, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
