Dog and Cat Meat and Fur Trades Vietnam
The dog and cat meat trade in VIETNAM (Asia):
It is estimated that 5 million dogs are slaughtered for human consumption in Vietnam each year. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, Dogs are man’s best friend yet they are being cruelly killed for food) Eating cat meat was banned in Vietnam in 1998. Despite the ban, people still eat cat meat in Vietnam. Many of the officials who are supposed to enforce the ban against eating cat meat consume cat meat themselves. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam)
The majority of the live dogs in the dog meat trade in Vietnam come from Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, Dogs are man’s best friend yet they are being cruelly killed for food)
Article 21 of Vietnam’s 2016 Law on Animal Health states that organizations and individuals who “use animals” must treat them humanely, and minimize pain and fear to animals during production, such as transportation and slaughter. (Huong & Ward, 2015, Vietnam National Assembly Passes Animal Health Law) The Law on Animal Health does not contain any provisions to punish organizations and individuals who violate this law. (Animals Asia, 2018, PETITION: Urge the Vietnam government to outlaw cruelty to animals) The dogs destined for the meat trade in Vietnam suffer horrific conditions starting from the beginning when they are obtained for the meat trade, to when they are transported, sold, and slaughtered. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, ACPA’s Work) As with other dogs transported for the meat trade in Asia, many dogs die of suffocation, dehydration, or heatstroke during transport. The dogs are transported for days in cramped cages piled on top of each other, while being deprived of water, food, and rest. Many of the dogs suffer from disease. Many are injured by rough handling. They are handled with iron pincers, which are clamped around their neck or leg. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, The Dog Meat Trade: A Severe and Prevalent Animal Welfare Concern) Slaughterers kill dogs in many different ways, including bludgeoning them with a heavy metal pipe, slitting their throats, stabbing them in the chest with a large knife, boiling them alive in hot water, and burning them with a blowtorch, while in front of other dogs. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, Dogs are man’s best friend yet they are being cruelly killed for food)
Many pets are stolen for the dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam. (Nikkei, 2018, Hanoi’s plan to ban dog meat puts pressure on hundreds of vendors) The number of pet dogs being stolen for the dog meat trade in Vietnam continues to increase. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, The Dog Meat Trade: A Severe and Prevalent Animal Welfare Concern) It is estimated that 70% of the dogs slaughtered for their meat in Vietnam are stolen pets or strays. (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade) Criminals can make huge profits on stolen dogs. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2015, Take URGENT action to stop the brutal slaughter of dogs for their meat!) Cats are also taken from homes and streets all across Vietnam for the meat trade. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam) Many cat owners are afraid of having their pet cats stolen. (Time, 2014, Vietnam Cat Owners Must Live With Fear of Pets Getting Stolen and Eaten)
In North Vietnamese live animal meat markets, hundreds of live and dead dogs are sold for human consumption. (NY Times Post, 2020, Inside the horrific, inhumane animal markets behind pandemics like coronavirus)
Cat meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam, and is believed to be a source of strength and potency. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam) Vietnamese who eat cats believe eating cat meat at the beginning of every month “wards off bad luck, boosts libido, and gives them the agility of the cat.” (Hodge, 2018, Drowned Like Rats. Gruesome pictures show a cat meat market in Vietnam where terrified pets are caged, killed and cooked.) Rich people, military leaders, police, lawyers, and heads of big companies are some of the customers who regularly eat cat meat. Some tourists eat cat meat as a novelty meal. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam)
Many cats are smuggled from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in southern China into Thai Binh Province in northern Vietnam for the cat meat trade, including pets and strays. Cats are also smuggled into Thai Binh Province from Laos. It is estimated that around 50,000 cats smuggled from China and Laos into Thai Binh Province are taken to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam in the northern part of the country. There is also a thriving trade in live cats in Quang Ninh Province in north central Vietnam, and transporters often bring these cats to Va Town in Bac Ninh Province in northern Vietnam. Cat meat is very popular in Vietnam, especially in Va town, where the trade operates openly. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam)
Cats are crammed into cages and bags for transport, with cats often piled on top of each other. The cats endure brutal treatment in order to put them under duress, which causes them to release adrenaline. The butchers of the cats believe the meat is better because of the adrenaline. Some cats are drowned in cages. (Hodge, 2018, Drowned Like Rats. Gruesome pictures show a cat meat market in Vietnam where terrified pets are caged, killed and cooked.) The butchers throw the cats from cages into boiling water, often while they are still alive. The butchers then put the cats into a rotating machine that removes their skins, and then cut them up. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam)
In January 2015, police authorities intercepted a truck from Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam jammed with several thousands of cats bound for the meat trade in Hanoi, Vietnam. Although rescue organizations were available to rescue the cats and provide veterinary care, Government officials ordered the cats to be killed the next day, saying it would prevent the spread of disease. The cats were crushed in their cages by a dump truck and buried. (Red Door News, 2015, Cruel trade: the flourishing cat-meat restaurants of north Vietnam)
Hanoi, Vietnam, has a large consumer base for dog and cat meat. (Soi Dog Foundation, 2019, End of Year Report 2018) City officials in Hanoi plan to ban the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats in central districts by 2021, and plan to shut down all dog meat restaurants in the city by the same time frame. Hanoi officials announced that the dog and cat meat trade “does not present a modern image of the capital,” and that the trade is offensive to expatriates and tourists visiting Vietnam. A Hanoi resident suggested that the dog and cat meat ban will be impossible to enforce because of the popularity of dishes containing dog and cat meat. Vietnamese people who are opposed to the ban say that the practice of eating dog and cat meat is a vital part of Vietnamese culture, and they plan to subvert law enforcement in order to continue eating dogs and cats. There are approximately 1,000 or more dog and cat meat vendors and restaurants in Hanoi. Some Vietnamese people believe that eating dog meat at the end of each month eliminates any bad luck suffered in previous weeks in that month, and eating cat meat at the beginning of each month brings good luck for that month. Many people in Vietnam slaughter and consume dogs and cats in their homes, especially for family gatherings. (Nikkei, 2018, Hanoi’s plan to ban dog meat puts pressure on hundreds of vendors)
Vietnam is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs. (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies) Vietnamese officials made the importation and transportation of dogs and dog meat into Vietnam illegal in an attempt to eliminate rabies. It is also illegal to transport dogs between provinces in Vietnam without the proper paperwork because of the threat of rabies. Vietnamese officials do not always enforce these laws. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2015, Vietnamese Authorities Clamp Down on Illegal Importation of Dogs and Dog Meat) Rabies virus isolates from dogs in the meat trade in China were found in Vietnam. (Garba, 2013, Evaluation of dog slaughter and consumption practices related to the control of rabies in Nigeria) Despite the Vietnamese law against the importation and transport of dogs and dog meat, up to 500,000 dogs a year have been known to be smuggled into Vietnam through the Cao Treo border crossing between Laos and Vietnam in north central Vietnam. Authorities in Vietnam posted signs at the Cao Treo border crossing with Laos warning traffickers of the consequences of smuggling dogs and dog meat into Vietnam. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2015, Vietnamese Authorities Clamp Down on Illegal Importation of Dogs and Dog Meat)
Soi Dog Foundation is working with the Vietnamese national government to increase laws that prohibit the dog meat trade, and with Vietnamese law enforcement to enforce any laws enacted in regards to the dog meat trade. Soi Dog Foundation is also working with Vietnamese television broadcasters to inform the Vietnamese public of the brutality of the dog meat industry and the human health risks associated with the industry. (Soi Dog Foundation, 2020, Ending the Dog Meat Trade) There is over 20 years of evidence that points to the dog meat trade as posing a risk to human health due to the transmission of rabies, cholera, and other deadly diseases. There is also a high incidence of dogs with rabies being found in restaurants, slaughterhouses, and markets throughout the region. (Asia Canine Protection Alliance, 2020, The Dog Meat Trade: A Risk to Human Health?)
In December 2021, officials in the city of Hoi An in Vietnam signed an agreement with Four Paws International to phase out dog and cat meat in a two-year timeframe. The agreement also included the eradication of rabies and the improvement of animal welfare in the city. City officials said the abolishment of dog and cat meat in Hoi An will be good for tourism. (Four Paws International, 2021, Vietnam Establishes First Ever Dog and Cat Meat-Free Tourist-Friendly City)