Dog Days
When we were in southern Vietnam I made a comment that I was glad to see so many dogs thinking this means the residents must not eat them. As far as the stories that I knew, people reported not seeing any dogs in places where they are eaten. Rod said that is not true because some have to be the breeders. I definitely tried to ignore the issue and we saw no evidence of any dog for food culture. I lulled myself into believing that Vietnam is not like China and Korea as far as Fido roasts go. Apparently, northern Vietnam is where the action is at and it did not take us long to stumble over plenty of evidence of what I believe is quite a barbaric and disgusting practice.
We were driving towards Halong Bay from Hanoi watching all of the crazy stuff being carried on bicycles and motorbikes when we saw a rattan cage on the back of one motorbike that was stuffed with numerous dogs lying on their sides. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what that was all about. It was a sad moment that made my stomach turn a bit. Since then I have been quite wary about most of the dingy Vietnamese restaurants that we have had to eat at in the countryside, but we didn’t run into anything suspicious looking (or tasting). The food of the north is quite bland and I have not been very interested in it. I really am looking forward to getting back to Thailand for their interesting and varied dishes. Even in southern Vietnam where there is a bit more variety, the food is not nearly as good as we found in Malaysia or Thailand.
On the drive to the northern reaches of Vietnam, specifically to a small city called Ha Giang, about ten kilometers south of the border with China, I saw a gruesome scene. Right next to the road a man and a boy had an animal tied to a tree upside down and I could see that they had just slaughtered it and were in the midst of gutting it. I really wanted to believe that it was a goat, but this fantasy was rubbished as I stared on. I muttered some four-letter words of disgust as I realized that I was seeing the butchering of a dog for food. Luckily for Rod, he had his eyes closed at the moment and was spared the sight. Our guide, who is a real idiot (two out-of-three of our guides providing the local support have been very poor and the third, Si in Hue, was a very good guide), turned to announce that was a dog being butchered. He later started to tell us that the way they were doing it is not how he does it and we cut him off immediately not wanting to hear that he is a dog eater. We already did not like him one bit and this would only make us detest his presence more.
In Ha Giang, as we returned to the city from the local reserve, there is a group of roadside restaurants. As we passed the first couple, I was sure I saw a cooked dog being butchered into the pieces to be served that night. My stomach crawled again and I just remained silent since no one else noticed. That night we ate in that area, but Rod did not want to eat at the first restaurant where we had a beer because there was a barking dog and he could smell dog meat. There is no doubt in my mind that this is something consumed very regularly in this area. We found a restaurant without dog and ate there, but the whole thought is certainly stuck in my head and I am only eating to satisfy the need. I have seen a few cats, but not many and eventually the Morris roast talk had to come.
According to our guide, Bill the Cat (well, maybe not one this ratty) and the rest are consumed regularly. I’m not sure what to believe from this guide, but he told us that there was a dog shortage in the restaurants a few years ago and there was an increase in the price and demand for cat so many of the family cats were cashed in. This might just be one of the stories he was full of, but I think, sadly, that I can take away the knowledge that cats as well as the dogs are consumed here.
I think it is quite obvious from the stories, information on the internet, the lack of animal sightings and what we saw ourselves, Vietnam is eating every animal that can be caught. If the animal such as a langur monkey tastes bad (imagine how bad that must be!), it still has value for traditional medicine and therefore is still whacked. The sad thing about this is that it has probably been part of the Vietnamese tradition for a long time seemingly causing no major harm, but destructive traditions practiced on the scale of close to 90 million citizens are causing irreparable harm. I think I have seen an extreme case of what is going on worldwide although I am quite shocked by the last two weeks because I did not come into Vietnam understanding any of this. I am a bit pessimistic about the odds of Vietnam’s conservation efforts, but the Vietnamese are some of the world’s most optimistic people so we will have fun in Hanoi before flying out and just hope that the Vietnamese people will come to recognize the need and value of saving as much of their country’s natural heritage as possible. Fingers crossed…
Tags: Asia, vietnam
vagabondrick
I haven’t posted for awhile and it’s utterly silly to say that’s because I’ve been busy and traveling – considering the degree of YOUR busy-ness and non-stop travels. Just know that I read everything you write and am learning so much. Thanks for traveling in and reporting on places I know I’ll never get to. Vietnam was a distant dream for me; you’ve made it real.
So sorry that you had to have such a vivid confirmation of dog butchering and eating. I do hope that is the worst that you will experience or encounter there.