Since ancient times, Vietnamese people have regarded dogs as man’s best four-legged friends. Some have even placed stone statues of dogs at the front gates of their houses or villages to ward off evil spirits. The Dich Vi village in Hanoi’s Dan Phuong has worshipped stone dogs for hundreds of years. On every 1st and 15th day of the lunar month, incense is burned at these statues and people come to pray and ask for solutions to their problems. However, even though dogs have this special place in Vietnamese culture & society, dog meat is still widely regarded as part of Vietnamese culinary culture.
We are appalled and outraged at the current practice of slaughtering dogs in your country and the human consumption of these loving, innocent creatures. I am particularly outraged at “how” many of these dogs end up in Vietnam – through mafia gangs that steal many of the animals from loving homes and shelters in neighboring countries. The cruelty that most of these dogs face during the slaughter is unimaginable – being beaten and then skinned alive – supposedly to tenderize the meat and the false belief that the adrenaline being released during their painful death enhances the flavor of the meat.
I know that Vietnam is a popular tourist destination and has developed rapidly over the years. Why would Vietnam want to tarnish their public image and loose tourist revenue due to this barbaric practice? I will continue to raise awareness on this matter in my home country and abroad.
Please take action and change the laws within Vietnam to make it illegal through new clearly enforceable laws which:
1. Prohibit the trafficking of animals for the meat trade
2. Ban slaughter, abuse, and consumption of ALL DOGS & CATS once and for all
3. Define ALL DOGS & CATS as "PET ANIMALS"
I appreciate your support in this matter.
