We are visitors to Vietnam and love the Vietnamese government for the way they have handled the pandemic. We feel like we have been in the safest place in the world for the past few months. But we have learned about a dark side to the country which we would like to ask the government to consider fixing...
In Vietnam eating cat and dog meat is legal. But farming this meat is not legal. This means all of the meat is “black market”. This could be made up of strays or cats and dogs stolen from homes. Facebook Groups help Vietnamese people find lost or stolen pets.
Every week we see posts on Facebook pet groups for devastated families who have had their cat or dog stolen for the meat trade. They desperately want to find their pets, but it is not easy, even with a large reward offered.
Apparently around 80% of Vietnamese citizens are “OK” with the cat and dog meat trade. We believe this is an old statistic which no longer applies. There are now more cats and dogs kept as pets. In the past they were used more as farming tools e.g. cats help keep rats and other critters away, dogs guard your property and livestock.
Vietnamese people often have affection for cats and dogs, which wasn’t the same in the past
Nowadays more people live in cities and have pets which they love. Single people who live alone often rely on a pet for companionship. The proof of this is the large number of new pet shops and retail stores catering to animal lovers. These shops sell cat and dog toys, baskets, luxury food, comfortable bedding and other items which only a loving pet owner would buy.
There are now more genuine pet owners in Vietnam than ever before. If their cat or dog is stolen they feel like they have lost a member of their family. We want to spread this information and hope that the Vietnamese government sees that cats and dogs shouldn’t be used for food. They may have been necessary to eat in the past, in desperate times, but now Vietnam has a thriving economy.
Why we want to ban cat and dog meat in Hoi An
We are advocating for the ban of the cat and dog meat trade everywhere in the world. But we want to start small with Hoi An, where we have been based for the past few months. After seeing Cambodia ban this meat trade in Siem Reap, we want to ask the Vietnamese government if they will consider doing the same in Hoi An. Siem Reap is the most popular tourist destination in Cambodia, just like Hoi An is the most popular tourist destination in Vietnam.
Expats and locals in Hoi An rarely have pet cats because they are harder to keep safe from the cat thieves. They have pet dogs more often, but they know that they must always be careful to keep them safe. New pet owners should be very careful with CCTV cameras around their property and pets need to be kept safe indoors or in a secure enclosure at night.
How Cat and Dog Thieves Steal People’s Pets in Hoi An, Danang and across Vietnam
Cat and dog thieves in Hoi An usually operate late at night when people are sleeping. They use hooks to quickly grab the animals, tasers to stun the animals with electricity and poison to make them unconscious.
The animals are then kept in holding cells, usually in overcrowded conditions. Then they are sold to cat and dog meat restaurants in Hoi An. If they aren’t needed they are sent to northern Vietnam usually. Again the conditions are cramped and many animals die from the heat and dehydration.
Why Cats and Dogs are Usually Tortured in Vietnam
When the animals are butchered the methods are horrific. The amount of unnecessary animal cruelty is unbelievable. Cats and dogs are often tortured before they are butchered. This is because they are said to taste better when adrenaline is in their blood.
The animals may be boiled alive, chopped up while still conscious, skinned alive and beaten with blunt objects. The other cats and dogs see all of this happening and know that they will be next. It is a terrifying experience always.
Dog meat restaurants are legal and open about what they sell in Hoi An
Dog meat restaurants openly advertise their businesses in Hoi An. We would love to see an end to these establishments so that pets are not stolen from local families and served here.
Please help spread resources advocating for the end of the cat and dog meat trade in Hoi An, Danang, the rest of Vietnam, the rest of Southeast Asia and the rest of the world. Their are Vietnamese
Vietnamese law usually doesn’t make cat and dog theft a crime if just stealing one or two animals at a time, because they are not seen as valuable enough. We are begging the Vietnamese government to re-asses this law now that these animals are loved much more than in the past.
If you would like to contact Vietnamese government anywhere in the world you may want to use this letter template: https://fightdogmeat.com/embassy-letter-vietnamese-consulate/
