Once known for rows of dog meat eateries, many of Vietnam's famous dog meat streets have recently fallen quiet.
In Hanoi, the last eatery has shut down on Nhat Tan Street, a once well-known destination for dog meat. Similarly, in Ho Chi Minh City, many restaurants on the city’s so-called “dog meat street” on Ong Ta, Cong Quynh, Thi Nghe have permanently closed down.
The closures raise a question: do people in Vietnam still eat dogs?
The controversial dish in Vietnamese cuisine
For centuries, dogs in Vietnam have occupied an ambiguous cultural position: both as loyal household companions and, for some, as a comfort food.
In Vietnamese traditional rural life, dogs were primarily valued as guard animals that protected homes and farms. Their familiar presence in daily life meant they also appeared frequently in folk sayings and proverbs, reflecting their familiarity in Vietnamese society.
At the same time, dog meat became a popular food, especially in northern Vietnam. In popular tradition, some people eat dog meat at the end of the lunar month to dispel bad luck and bring better fortune for the coming month. The dish is often viewed as a “warming” food in traditional dietary beliefs, which categorise ingredients according to their perceived effects on the body’s internal balance.
Beyond its culinary role, dog meat has also functioned as a social dish. Meals featuring dog meat are commonly shared in groups, particularly in informal drinking gatherings among friends. Specialized eateries dedicated to dog meat emerged in many cities, forming what locals call “dog meat streets.”
Yet this dual role—as both companion animal and food—has also made dog meat one of the most debated aspects of Vietnamese food culture. While some people regard it as part of culinary tradition, others increasingly question the practice.
As more Western visitors come to Vietnam, the consumption of dog meat has increasingly been viewed as “brutal” and “inhumane”, which harms the country’s reputation. In 2015, a British Member of Parliament even called for a boycott of Vietnam and countries that consumed dog meat, as a way to express opposition to the practice.
The closure of “dog meat streets”
In the early 2000s, Nhat Tan Street in Hanoi was one of the city’s most well-known destinations for dog meat. With around 50 restaurants serving the dish and an estimated 15 tons of dog meat consumed each day, the street once epitomized the boom of dog meat culture in the country’s capital.
However, the street’s heyday began to fade in the 2010s. From around 50 restaurants at its peak, Nhat Tan gradually dwindled to just a single dog-meat eatery. In early 2026, that last restaurant also shut down, returning the premises to the landlord and switching to a different line of business—effectively marking the end of the once-famous dog meat street.
While dog meat culture was most prominent in Northern Vietnam, it also spread to the South following waves of migration after 1954. In Ho Chi Minh City, several areas once known for rows of dog meat eateries—such as the Ong Ta intersection, Cong Quynh and Thi Nghe—have gradually given way to cafes and family-run restaurants.
The few remaining dog meat vendors appear reluctant to speak about the trade. “There’s nothing good about this job,” one owner told Thanh Nien.
Local residents and former restaurant owners say the disappearance of these streets did not happen overnight, but was driven by a combination of factors. Some point to spiritual beliefs: owners reportedly worried that misfortune in their families might be linked to the large number of dogs they had slaughtered over the years.
The work of slaughtering and selling dog meat has rarely been regarded as a prestigious profession. A 2013 study on dog slaughtering at a neighbourhood in Ha Dong, Hanoi, found that many people entered the trade largely because agricultural incomes had declined, while most slaughterhouse owners did not intend to remain in the business long term.
As economic conditions improved, many eventually shifted to other occupations or formed other businesses rather than continuing in the trade.
Others say the biggest shift comes from changing attitudes among younger generations. “Our children and grandchildren no longer enjoy eating dog meat,” one resident said. “To them, dogs and cats are companions - the animals closest to humans.”
Do people in Vietnam still eat dogs?
Even when major dog meat eateries have shut down, the trade has not disappeared.
As pet ownership has grown while demand for dog meat persists, dog theft has become a persistent social problem. A 2024 report by FOUR PAWS estimates that around 6,000 pet dogs are still stolen or captured annually, with 23% stolen, 13% reported to have been taken using poisonous bait, and about 22% ultimately ending up in slaughterhouses for meat.
Vietnam currently has no law that fully bans the consumption of dog meat.
Demand for dog meat still exists and remains highly controversial whenever the issue resurfaces in public debate. Yet the steady disappearance of dog meat restaurants and slaughterhouses may signal a gradual decline in consumption. The trend suggests that even without legal restrictions, changing social attitudes could make the practice increasingly out of step with modern urban life.
