The dog was seen lying still without barking while his owner constantly put her hand into the cage petting and saying farewell to the dog.

It was then sold to a man who recorded the video. He consoled her that he would take care of it and sometimes she could come over to visit.

After watching the video that has been shared on many Facebook groups, Le Van Tien, a dealer specialising in rare breeds of dogs, decide to return the dog to the Mong woman.

He re-purchased the dog from the man who made the video.

Tien said he travelled from Quan Ba District to Meo Vac District in Ha Giang Province to ask the dog seller to take him to the new owner’s house and gave the dog back to her.

“My house is located 140km from her house. I departed at 7am and arrived at her house at 12pm,” he added.

According to Tien, the elderly women spoke the ethnic language so he did not know her name. She currently lives with her grandchild’s family. Like many other locals, their life is very difficult.

“She said that the she had raised the dog for 11 months. It belongs to a rare Mong short-tailed species. After watching the video, I was moved to tears on seeing her affection for the animal. So I decided to give the dog back to her,” Tien said.

Le Van Tien (first left) gives back the dog to its owner, a Mong ethnic woman. — Photo giadinh.net.vn

“Many people have told me that if I give it back, then some day she will sell it again, but I don’t care about that. I also encouraged her to try to feed it until it dies. If she wants to raise another dog, I’m also willing to give her a new one.

“When I gave it back to her, it is her right to sell it or not on the other day. I just want to do this due to my appreciation for the affection between the owner and the dog,” he added.

Tien did not reveal how much he spent on the dog but said it was not a small amount.

In addition to giving the dog back to its owner, the kind-hearted man has also called on donors to donate money to support the Mong family. As a result, he has raised over VND5 million (US$214), plus another one million ($43) of his own, to present to the Mong elderly.

“I have taken some money from that amount to buy food for the family. I am so happy that my appeal for the donation has been enthusiastically supported by everyone,” he said.  VNS

Costumes of Mong women in Ha Giang

Language, writing, and costumes are important identifications to differentiate Vietnam’s ethnic groups.   

Wedding customs of the Ha Nhi ethnic group

Expressing one’s love through music, running away to the beloved’s house, and scaling money on the wedding day are some of the unique wedding customs of the Ha Nhi ethnic people in Muong Te district, Lai Chau province.