The Vietnamese landscape seems to be in constant flux, with the country currently in the midst of a profound cultural and legislative transformation. Central to this change is the “ghost” of the dog meat trade, an industry that once defined many aspects of Vietnamese social life but is now increasingly seen as a relic of a past that the modern nation is eager to leave behind.
Before ever coming to Asia, I thought the idea of dog meat was just a racist stereotype of a practice that hadn’t existed for hundreds of years, and it seems like I wasn’t alone. Recently, I saw a video on Instagram reels of a young man travelling through Vietnam who had jokingly asked a local if he had any dog meat to eat.
The comments were full of complaints of how his comments were racist and insensitive, but if you’ve actually lived in Vietnam and can understand the language, you’d know that the dog meat trade is alive and well in the country to this day, with many stalls still exclusively selling the produce.
Understanding why the dog meat trade in Vietnam is both succeeding and failing to disappear in 2026 means we have to look at the historical necessity that created it, the criminal networks that sustain it, and the public health crusade that is finally bringing it to its knees.
Why the Dog Meat Trade Existed
The consumption of dog meat, known here in Vietnam as thịt chó, was never a simple matter of preference. Its roots are buried deep in the soil of survival.
Throughout the 20th century, Vietnam faced periods of intense hardship, famine, and war, and in a subsistence economy, dogs were a practical livestock that required no specialised grain, acting as village scavengers, and provided a dense source of protein during times when cattle were needed for ploughing, and pigs were a luxury.
Local folklore stated that dog meat is considered a “red” meat that brings heat to the body, making it a winter staple, and more importantly, it became tied to the lunar calendar.
Eating dog meat at the end of the month is believed to “dispel bad luck” (giải đen), while eating it at the beginning of the month is considered a harbinger of misfortune. This ritualistic aspect turned a survival food into a social tradition, particularly for men gathered at roadside stalls to share rice wine and conversation.
The Reality of the Supply Chain Dog Meat
A persistent myth is that the dogs consumed in Vietnam are raised on specialised farms, similar to poultry or pork. While small-scale “meat dog” facilities exist, they are the exception, not the rule. It is economically inefficient to farm dogs on a mass scale due to their caloric needs and territorial nature.
Instead, the vast majority of the dogs in the trade are “village dogs” or, increasingly, stolen pets. As Vietnam’s middle class has grown, so has the bond between humans and animals. This has given rise to a violent black market.
Dog thieves, or cẩu tặc, roam rural and suburban neighbourhoods on motorbikes, using poisoned baits or high-voltage tasers to snatch pets from their doorsteps. In fact, we’ve had several scares at my wife’s parents’ home, as we’ve seen people on our camera stop by the gate to have a look at one of their dogs. While we can’t confirm they were there for the dog itself, it does show that people are still wary of their dog’s safety.
These dogs are then trafficked across the country in appalling conditions where they will be crammed into small iron crates, stacked high on trucks, and transported for days without food or water.
By the time they reach a slaughterhouse, many have died of suffocation or heatstroke. The silver lining in all of this is that the shift from “livestock” to “stolen family member” is one of the primary reasons the trade has lost its social standing.
Why the Ban is Gaining Ground
While some people may think the push to end trade in the 2020s is about animal rights, it is, in fact, a calculated move for national security and public health. The Vietnamese government has recognised that the unregulated movement of millions of dogs is the single greatest obstacle to eradicating Rabies.
Vietnam has committed to a “One Health” framework, aiming for zero human rabies deaths by 2030. Because the dog meat supply chain is entirely underground, these animals bypass all veterinary checkpoints. Slaughterhouse workers and consumers are at high risk of contracting not only rabies but also cholera and various zoonotic parasites.
In cities like Hanoi and Hoi An, the authorities have moved beyond “encouragement” and have implemented “Rabies-Free Zones” and increased pressure on vendors through food safety inspections. In 2024 and 2025, several high-profile provinces followed Hoi An’s lead, signing memorandums of understanding with international organisations to phase out the trade entirely. The message is clear: a “civilised” and healthy Vietnam cannot have an unregulated, high-risk slaughter industry operating in its shadows.
The Death of Demand For Dog Meat
Thankfully, the movement’s greatest success is the collapse in demand among youth. For Gen Z and Millennials in Vietnam, the idea of eating “man’s best friend,” and worse, someone’s pet, is increasingly unthinkable. Social media has played a pivotal role as viral videos of pet thefts and slaughterhouse expos have turned a once-private habit into a source of public shame.
In major urban centres, dog meat restaurants are being replaced by pet cafes, grooming salons, and veterinary clinics. Former slaughterhouse owners are being recruited into programs that help them pivot to sustainable businesses, such as grocery stores or construction, so when the profit motive is removed and replaced with a viable alternative, the trade naturally withers.
The Persistent Ghost
Despite these strides, the trade remains a “ghost” that haunts the provinces, and it’s still very easy to find stalls littered across major cities, such as Hanoi and Saigon, but it’s still practised commonly in rural areas. It is failing to disappear entirely for three specific reasons:
The Urban-Rural Divide: While Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are becoming “pet-friendly” hubs, the trade remains robust in rural areas and the North-Central provinces. In these regions, the cultural belief in the “luck-bringing” properties of the meat remains a powerful motivator for the older generation.
Cross-Border Smuggling: Vietnam remains a destination for dogs smuggled from neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Laos. Without a unified Southeast Asian regional strategy, the supply can be replenished even if domestic sources are squeezed.
The “Grey Market”: The trade has become more covert. Instead of large, brightly lit restaurants, vendors now operate out of private homes or unlisted stalls, advertising through word-of-mouth or closed social media groups. This “underground” shift makes it harder for health officials to monitor and regulate the spread of disease.
The 2026 Outlook
As of 2026, the dog meat trade in Vietnam is in its twilight, but it is a long and flickering one. The transition is not a straight line; it is a tug-of-war between a modernising nation that prizes public health and global reputation, and a dwindling demographic that clings to a habit born of a harder era.
The “ban” is succeeding where it matters most: in the hearts and minds of the next generation. The cultural prestige of dog meat has evaporated. What remains is a shrinking, criminalised industry that is increasingly incompatible with Vietnam’s vision of itself as a leading, modern Southeast Asian power. The ghost is still there, but in the bright, pet-friendly sunlight of the 2020s, its shadow is growing shorter every day.
<p>The post The Vietnamese Dog Meat Trade first appeared on Travelbinger.</p>