An Appetite for Dogs: Consuming and Loving Them in Vietnam

Abstract

Very little has been written on people’s attitudes to dogs in Vietnam. We collected data on this in two ways. First, relevant information on the history and current status of dog use and consumption was sourced from academic literature, newspaper reports, websites, and animal welfare organizations. Second, in 2004, the polling agency Market & Opinion Research International (MORI) was contracted to survey 1000 adults (15 years and above) in the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City about dogs. Respondents were asked about their attitudes to the roles that dogs played in their society and whether or not they would support a ban on eating certain animals, including dogs. Of the participants, 46 % were male and 54 %female. Fifty-two percent of participants owned pet animals (this was the percentage for both cities): overall, 27 % had dogs, 30 %cats, 5 % a bird, and 6 %pets which were categorized as “other,” for example, fish, guinea pigs, and monkeys. The survey showed that, overall, people were supportive of the use of dogs as pets, assistance animals and guard dogs, but were against the use of dogs as food. In line with this, most would support a ban on the eating of dogs. However, there was a major difference of opinion when residents of the two cities were compared: the majority of people living in the north (Hanoi), as opposed to the south (Ho Chi Minh City) were actually supportive of using dogs for food and would not support a ban on the eating of dogs.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the funding organization. The majority of the research was carried out while working in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK.