Foreigners are shocked and curious about dog meat in Vietnam

`At the time I wasn’t sure what I was witnessing, but when I realized that what was being sold on the counter were dead dogs, I couldn’t stop shaking, and I cried as I walked home,` said Elizabeth Homfray, who once had 10 children.

Many foreigners who come to Vietnam are also shocked by the story of eating dog meat.

`His family owns dogs, but he still takes his wife and children to the dog meat restaurant every week. Even though I just heard about it, I still couldn’t help but be seriously shocked and couldn’t sleep for three nights afterward,` he recalled.

A dog meat restaurant in Cau Giay, Hanoi.

Statistics from international animal welfare organizations show that on average, about 5 million dogs and one million cats are trafficked and slaughtered in Vietnam every year.

But not all foreigners are surprised by this eating habit.

`I love dogs and have raised 4 dogs, but I don’t think eating dog meat is wrong. It would be hypocritical if you say eating dog meat is bad but still continue to eat chicken and pork,` Lucas,

This is also a controversial viewpoint on the issue of eating dog meat in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, many Vietnamese people support eating dog meat, saying that this is a traditional dish, a `specialty` from the past, similar to some East Asian countries, including Korea.

Kyung-seok, 27 years old, a Korean working at a corporation in Vietnam, said that Koreans eat dog meat, but do not consider it a traditional dish or specialty, but just a food that has helped them overcome their illness.

In fact, dog meat consumption in Korea has decreased significantly in recent decades, in the context that many people in this country consider eating dog meat an `international shame`.

Many foreigners living in Vietnam believe that what to eat is each person’s right to freedom, but it is necessary to look at this issue from a deeper perspective, when the habit of eating dog meat is related to the problem of dog theft in response to the problem.

`When discussing the issue of eating dog meat with Vietnamese people, I do not mention the moral aspect or slogans like ‘dogs are friends’, but just say that they may be helping dog theft groups.

A volunteer from Laws For Paws specializes in taking care of stray dogs in the city.

Witnessing the situation of many dogs and cats being stolen and sold into slaughterhouses, Mr. Vincent decided to give up the business he was pursuing in Vietnam to participate in efforts to rescue and help animals.

He started rescuing dogs and cats in 2010, but did not receive support from his Vietnamese wife.

`Many young people contacted me to help keep their pets because their families wanted to eat the animals. Recently, a student called me sobbing, telling me that his parents had sold his pet while he was at school.

Many years after the day she was `obsessed` with the dog meat stall, Ms. Homfray also founded the Laws For Paws organization, headquartered in Thao Dien, City.

She said that the efforts of many young Vietnamese people to protect and adopt dogs and cats over the years are part of the reason why Vietnamese people have gradually turned their backs on dog meat.

Mr. Vincent also emphasized that dog meat is still a familiar dish in rural Vietnam.

This is the reason he built high walls and barbed wire fences at the charity house for dogs and cats in Dong Nai.

French man rescues dogs and cats in Vietnam

Mr. Vincent Leopold shared about his loving home for dogs and cats in Dong Nai in 2019. Video: Minh Nhat

However, Kyung-seok believes that the dog meat issue is a `generational concept` that is difficult to change overnight.

Korea has failed in campaigning and propagandizing people not to eat dog meat.

But over time, most young Koreans no longer eat dog meat.

`People’s relationship with this animal has developed deeply. When Koreans come to Vietnam, no one comes to eat dog meat,` Kyung-seok said, adding that this dish in Korea is now called Bosingtan.

`Koreans in the past thought dog meat was a nutritious dish. Nowadays, they can use many other nutritious dishes with similar flavors without having to use dog meat, similar to imitation civet dishes in Vietnam.`

Meanwhile, after receiving a lot of criticism on the forum for his post asking for the address of a dog meat shop, Lucas was still determined to find a facility in My Dinh in March. But when he arrived, he saw 4-5 people.

`I just sat in the cafe, looking at the dog meat shop from afar, even though I was still very curious about the taste of this dish. Maybe I will try the imitation civet dish,` said the young German.