Nga Pham

Also in this podcast... That is the biggest case ever that I've heard of that pets have been rescued and returned to their owners.

The local government in Ho Chi Minh City decided to organize a crackdown on the rings that were responsible for stealing cats and other animals, other pets from innocent owners across the city.

So they rescued something like 400 cats, most of them are pets, and reunite lots of them with their owners.

And that is the biggest case ever that I've heard of that pets have been rescued and returned to their owners.

Yeah, interesting you ask that.

Two days ago, actually, I was shown a CCTV clip.

Actually, all the people in my ward were shown that just as a sign of warning that some thieves actually going around the community at night and they use some kind of electric device.

to paralyse the pets temporarily and then catch them with nets, like, you know, butterfly nets, things like that.

So there are a few methods of catching pets, but that is the most popular one.

And lots of cats in Hanoi actually have been caught and been stolen that way.

That's right.

Lots of cats actually died in the process.

But you know, there's only one aspect of the trafficking of pets, cats and dogs inclusive, because most of them actually end up in restaurants.

The practice of eating dog meat and cat meat is still quite rampant, quite prevalent in Vietnam.

You know, during the old times, it's the only source of food or protein that people could get.

But now they still keep that practice.

And restaurants that sell cat meat and dog meat are still quite popular in not only in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but also other places.

cities across the country.

And I think with the flow of tourists, especially foreign tourists into the country at the moment, the government really wants to do something to show that we cannot continue that barbaric practice of eating cat and dog meats.

Well, you know, eating dog meat and cat meat is actually not banned in Vietnam.