Representatives from the parties participating in the seminar discussed various aspects of trafficking and suggested Vietnam should minimize the risks. In addition to presentations which showed how dog and cat trafficking affect the community’s health and animal welfare, the experts pointed out the impact on the tourism industry.

Robert Rankin, Country Director of Abercrombie and Kent Vietnam, said that travelers do not want to see cruel behavior toward animals, and that they dislike the dog and cat meat trade. This kind of trade can spread disease and make it more difficult for tour operators to promote Vietnam as a safe, civilized, friendly and modern destination. 

“We support the ban on dog and cat meat trade, and together with many travel companies have signed the FOUR PAWS’ pledge to end the dog and cat meat trade,” he said. 

According to Rankin, most tourists respect local culture, but in many cases, the culture only fits certain historical circumstances, and no longer fits the current time.

“We believe that travelers who love Vietnam don’t support cruel behavior towards animals, especially dog and cat trafficking,” he said.

Meanwhile, a representative of EXO Travel, over many years, said the company has been strictly observing the "five freedoms" in global standards for animals in tourism.

“We not only give recommendations to tourists, but also show them how to make direct reports to relevant organizations about unsustainable behaviors they see during sight-seeing (animal abuse, smuggling, illegal souvenir sales),” he said.

The representative said that dog and cat trafficking poses a threat to health and safety.

In December 2021, the Hoi An City People’s Committee and FOUR PAWS signed an agreement on stopping the use of dog and cat meat.

Le Dinh Tuong, who represents Hoi An People’s Committee, said that trading and consuming dog and cat meat affects the interests of animals and the health of the community. It harms the image of Vietnam and Vietnamese people.

Phan Thanh Dung, a consultancy expert for FOUR PAWS, said the organization regularly receives information from people and international travelers requesting to take action, and tens of thousands of letters are sent to the government requesting to stop trafficking. 

Ngoc Ha