Vietnam

Vietnam Police Bust Cat Theft Ring

Is Vietnam's cat meat trade finally being tackled or does one bust barely scratch the surface?

Published JUN 17

Story

Above: A cat from a rescue facility in Hanoi, Vietnam on Aug. 7, 2020. Image credit: STR/Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Vietnamese police detained nine suspects and dismantled a theft network during a 45-day anti-crime campaign, recovering more than 400 live cats and around 80 dead animals stored on ice, along with 21 additional cats seized at a separate location.
Independent
Vietnamnews.Vn
Officers traced a storage site at a vehicle depot in Tay Ninh Province, where suspects allegedly held cats in 45 cages before selling them to buyers for around 70,000 Vietnamese dong — roughly $2.60 — per kilogram, with transactions occurring every two to three days.
Vietnamnews.Vn
Breitbart
The suspects admitted to trapping and collecting cats across Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and An Giang over three years. With more than 500 cats seized in total, local media described it as one of Vietnam's largest cat welfare cases in recent years.
BBC News
The Star
At least 40 of the recovered cats were reunited with their owners, while around 100 others died as a result of their ordeal. Several pregnant cats were among those rescued, and kittens were born overnight in police custody.
INKL
The Nightly
Humane World for Animals supplied food and fans to prevent overheating for cats remaining in police custody as evidence. The group said its priority was relocating the animals to a dedicated care facility once the prosecution allowed.
EuroNews
VnExpress International
Humane World for Animals estimates that around five million dogs and one million cats are stolen and slaughtered for meat in Vietnam annually. A 2023 survey it commissioned found growing public opposition to the trade, particularly among younger people and pet owners.
BBC News
KSAT

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Vietnam's cat meat trade is a massive, ongoing crisis — an estimated one million cats are stolen, trafficked and slaughtered every year. Growing public opposition makes a full ban on the cat meat trade not just possible but necessary to protect these innocent animals.

Humane World for Animals

Wild biem Wild

Narrative B

Addressing Vietnam's cat meat trade goes beyond care for the animals themselves. It requires a whole-of-society approach, including family-based job retraining programs to support success in a more digital economy. A full solution must also center on transitioning former workers in this sector to a brighter future.

Vietnamnews.Vn