Executive Summary

Animal welfare in Vietnam is governed by the Law on Animal Health (2015) and the Law on Animal Husbandry (2018). Both laws prohibit the ill-treatment of animals and the Law on Animal Health (2015) mandates a duty of care of animals to owners. Vietnam has legislation providing additional protections for some species or for certain animal welfare issues, such as bear bile farming. Vietnam’s delegated authority to state and local equivalents has allowed cities, such as Hanoi, to ban cruel practices such as the dog meat trade.

Animal welfare legislation in Vietnam is characterised by a prioritisation on human health and consumption. This has resulted in limited protections for animals in the country. Language used in legislation is vague, and animal welfare protections for wild animals are completely absent. Despite some species being totally protected and cruel practices such as bear bile farming being banned, reports suggest these problems are ongoing.  While livestock are protected from ‘ill-treatment’ there are no details as to what ill-treatment constitutes and there are no supplementary guidelines or regulations to govern the care, rearing, transport and slaughter of different species.

In Vietnam, various departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have primary responsibility for matters dealing with animals. For instance, the Vietnam CITES authority deals with wildlife and bears, the Department of Animal Health deals with rabies and animals in farming and the Department of Livestock Production deals with the development of livestock policy. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has some importance in protecting animals, especially rare and endangered species.

Since the API was first published in 2014, Vietnam has introduced two new pieces of legislation to govern animal welfare. The Law on Animal Health (2015) is focused, however, on animal health for the benefit of humans, rather than because animals feel pain and can suffer. Similarly, the Law on Animal Husbandry (2018) focusses on ensuring greater productivity through improved animal husbandry for the benefit of humans.

The Government of Vietnam is strongly urged to amend the Law on Animal Health (2015) and the Law on Animal Husbandry (2018) to ensure that clear and stringent animal welfare protections are included. The Government is also encouraged to align animal welfare under one Ministry with sufficient resources for animal welfare education, promotion of animal welfare and enforcement of the law. The Government is also encouraged to create a separate committee under the said Ministry with ultimate responsibility for animal welfare across Vietnam. The committee should include representatives from different government departments, the Vietnam Zoos Association and animal welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Finally, the Government of Vietnam is encouraged to develop supporting regulations and guidance, by species, on the handling, care, transport, slaughter and euthanasia of farm animals in Vietnam. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.