Medical Practitioners and Teachers Join Fight to End Dog and Cat Meat Trade in Vietnam

Vietnam‘s education sector and traditional medicine community are taking a stand against the longstanding practice of consuming dog and cat meat. The initiative comes as a response to the growing awareness of health risks associated with the trade, including the transmission of diseases such as cholera and rabies.

Leaders of the Vietnam Orientally Traditional Medicine Association (VOTMA), the official voice of traditional medicine practitioners, recently denounced the use of dog and cat meat in their practices. The Ha Nam Traditional Medicine Association followed suit, pledging to cease the use of such meat in their practices and actively educating their peers and patients on the lack of scientific evidence supporting its claimed medicinal properties. This landmark decision was made at a workshop led by the Soi Dog International Foundation and Intelligentmedia, focusing on equipping traditional medicine practitioners with the knowledge and tools to discourage the use of dog and cat meat.

“We are in favour of the initiative because we recognise the benefits of removing non-scientific traditional medicine ingredients and products for public health and, more than that, the sustainable development of Vietnam’s traditional medicine reputation,” said Pham Ngoc Thuan, Head of Ha Nam Traditional Medicine Association.

In a complementary initiative, teachers from over 30 secondary schools in the Vietnamese capital, Ha Noi, gathered to discuss ways to educate the next generation about the ethical and health implications of the dog and cat meat trade. Organized by the Soi Dog International Foundation and Intelligentmedia, in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, the event aimed to integrate information about animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, and rabies prevention into the curriculum.

“Dog and cat meat trade and consumption are becoming controversial, and that needs to be addressed from an educational aspect,” emphasized Tring Dan Ly, Head of the Education and Training Department in Dong Da district.

Soi Dog Foundation, a longstanding advocate for ending the trade, also participated in a groundbreaking roundtable discussion with the National Assembly, Vietnam’s most powerful legislative body. This marked the first time in Vietnam’s history that the trade and consumption of dogs and cats had been deliberated upon at this level of government.

Find out more about the Soi Dog Foundation here.

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