Vietnam is simultaneously one of Asia's fastest-growing economies and one of the world's most challenging animal welfare contexts — home to bear bile farming, the dog and cat meat trade, and a massive wildlife trafficking nexus.
Vietnam's animal welfare challenges are among Asia's most severe in absolute terms. The country has bear bile farming affecting approximately 500 bears, an active dog and cat meat trade consuming an estimated 5 million dogs annually, and is a major transit and consumer country for illegal wildlife. At the same time, Vietnam has a growing domestic welfare movement, an increasingly urban and educated population showing different attitudes toward animals, and international pressure creating reform momentum.
Vietnam's bear bile industry has declined dramatically from its peak of approximately 4,000 bears in 2005, following a government ban on bile extraction from registered bears and coordinated campaigns by Animals Asia Foundation. Approximately 500 bears remain on farms — predominantly moon bears (Asiatic black bears) — awaiting transfer to sanctuaries or death. Animals Asia's Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao rescues and rehabilitates bile farm bears. The last farms are expected to close by 2026 under government agreements, though enforcement of the transfer timeline remains uncertain.
Vietnam's dog meat trade — estimated at 5 million dogs/year — involves capturing strays, purchasing dogs from households, and transporting them long distances (often from Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos) under severely welfare-compromising conditions. Slaughter methods cause significant suffering. The trade creates rabies transmission risks and public health concerns. Humane Society International Vietnam, Four Paws, and local organizations campaign for the trade's elimination. Hanoi's People's Committee issued recommendations against dog meat consumption in 2021; Ho Chi Minh City districts have followed. Consumer attitudes among younger urban Vietnamese are shifting against dog meat consumption, suggesting a generational transition is underway.
Vietnam is classified as a major consumer and transit country for illegal wildlife. Key products include: pangolins (most trafficked mammal globally — hundreds of tonnes seized in Vietnam annually), rhino horn (traditional medicine demand), tiger products, and live primates. The government has increased enforcement in recent years, with high-profile seizures and prosecutions. However, demand reduction — particularly for rhino horn — remains the most critical long-term intervention.
Vietnam's rapidly growing poultry and pig sectors operate with minimal welfare oversight. Approximately 1.5 billion broilers and 350 million pigs are produced annually. Battery cages are standard for layers. Avian influenza outbreaks — recurrent across Vietnam — create welfare emergencies through mass culling operations. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) oversees livestock welfare under Decree 13/2020, but enforcement capacity is limited.
Vietnam's animal advocacy sector is small but increasingly active. Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) works on wildlife trade issues. Animals Asia Foundation conducts bear and dog welfare programs. Four Paws Vietnam campaigns on the dog meat trade. HSI Vietnam engages on multiple fronts. Social media has dramatically increased public awareness, particularly among urban youth.
Vietnam's welfare trajectory has improved significantly in the past decade — bear bile farming dramatically reduced, wildlife enforcement strengthened, and urban attitudes toward dog meat shifting. The critical remaining challenges are: completing the bear sanctuary transfer program, eliminating the dog meat trade through combination of supply restriction and demand change, and building a regulatory framework for the growing intensive livestock sector.