VietNamNet Bridge - In the eyes of many Vietnamese, the indigenous breeds of dogs are only raised to watch the house, and are to be fed with food residue and sold for slaughter. But Vietnam has many rare and valuable dog breeds.

Hoang Thanh Quang, a Hanoi man, has founded the quockhuyen.com forum, a playground for those who love and breed Vietnamese dog breeds.

According to Mr. Quang, there are four most famous native dog breeds: the H'mong short-tail dogs, Phu Quoc ridgeback, Bac Ha dog and Indochina dingo. Also, there some other breeds of dog in Vietnam but dog breeders have not had clear standards for them. Quang raises Vietnam’s four native dog breeds.

The Indochina dingo is a primitive breed in the midland and mountainous areas of Vietnam. They are very wise and cruel. They are bred by ethnic minority people to keep watch over the house and to go hunting. The dog usually has two colors - yellow and black. The purebred dogs must have four legs of white hair and a bulbous tail with a white tip.

Phu Quoc ridgeback dogs are a breed of dog from Phú Quốc Island in Vietnam's southern Kiên Giang Province. The Phu Quoc Ridgeback is one of only three breeds that has a ridge of hair that runs along its back in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat (the others are Rhodesian Ridgeback and Thai Ridgeback). The Phu Quoc is the smallest of the three ridgebacks.

The Phu Quoc dog is a famous breed that has been raised by people on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province for hundreds of year. In Vietnam these dogs are still considered rare and there were only 700 purebred registered and recognised by the Vietnam Kennel Club dogs.

According to older people on Phú Quốc Island, the dog traditionally has four main patterns: spotted, black, yellow, and striped; however now the colours have become more varied. The rarest and most highly prized colour is pure black, with black eyes, black toes and a black spotted tongue. A mature dog is about 20–25 kg, with a small head, long neck, quite a long snout, thin yet long ears and dark speckles on the tongue. The body of tapering belly, straight legs and webbed feet allows Phu Quoc dogs to swim and run exceedingly well. They are also very good at climbing and can climb trees.

An important sign in recognizing a true Phu Quoc dog is the sword-shaped ridge on its back, together with short, thin hair. When facing competitors or running after prey, the hair on their back becomes erect, creating a ridge making the dog look brave and strong.

The Hmong short tail dog is an ancient breed native of ethnic Hmong in the mountainous area of northern Vietnam. Their appearance is special with muscular and a short tail. They have very good  physical ability and are strong and durable; they also have the ability to adapt to different ecological conditions.

Bac Ha is the name of the breed native living in Bac Ha, Lao Cai Province. Bac Ha dogs are usually fuzzy, tall, with different hair colors like black, yellow, brindle, gray or black and white. A few have siena hair. This breed is intelligent, easy to train and very disciplined.

Quang feeds his dogs with simple and not very expensive food, including rice mixed with corn, and cooked pig lungs, which can be mixed with fruit and cereal. The dogs are fed twice a day. The cost of dog feed is under VND500,000 ($25) per month for five dogs, compared to several million for food for an imported dog.

Quang’s forum has attracted the attention of hundreds of people who share a passion for the breed of native dogs. The forum members are applying dog management methods according to international standards.

Quang's native dogs: