Vietnamese celebrities have joined a campaign to call for an end to the consumption of dogs in their country.

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The “Ve Di Vang Oi!” (Come Home Golden!) campaign was launched on Tuesday in Ho Chi Minh City by the Asia Canine Protection Association (ACPA) in order to promote compassion toward dogs and prompt actions against the theft, trade, slaughter, and consumption of the canines in Vietnam.

Speaking at a press conference the same day, an ACPA representative said that they do not come as a foreign organization which either tells what Vietnamese people should do or discusses whether eating dog meat is right or wrong, but only want to provide support for the protection of animals, especially dogs as they have had the worst experiences before being sent to the slaughterhouse.

“Are there any families here which have a dog or cat? Do you consider it a member of your family? And how do you feel if one day it goes out and never comes back?” Chi Pu, a Vietnamese actress, asked, making the attendees stunned.

Many Vietnamese celebrities have joined hands in the “Ve Di Vang Oi!” campaign which calls for an end to the theft, trade, slaughter, and consumption of dogs in their country. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Other Vietnamese artists who support the campaign include music composer Quoc Trung, film producer Charlie Nguyen, Miss Universe Vietnam Truong Thi May, and singer Thu Minh.

The campaign is expected to gather one million signatures which will be submitted to the central government to appeal for policies to protect dogs.

According to ACPA statistics, an estimated five million dogs are slaughtered for food every year in Vietnam, many of which are stolen family pets and illegally-sourced dogs from neighboring countries.

They are packed tightly into cages and transported for days, the ACPA said, adding that many dogs die of suffocation, dehydration or heatstroke long before they reach Vietnam’s markets, slaughterhouses, and restaurants.

The dead and the living remain together for the entire journey and those surviving are brutally killed, the association said.

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