Hanoi folk urged to stop eating dog meat over rabies, image concerns

HANOI: City officials want residents to ease off eating dog meat, as the popular dish is tarnishing Hanoi’s image and risks spreading rabies.

Roasted, boiled or steamed dog meat can be found in markets and food shops across the capital city famed for its tasty street food, and the meat is traditionally eaten with rice wine or beer.

But Hanoi People’s Committee on Tuesday warned residents to lay off canine meat to prevent the spread of rabies and other animal-borne diseases.

It also urged them to stop eating cat meat, often dubbed “little tiger” on Vietnamese menus, which is less popular than dog but still readily available in rural areas.

The practice of killing the animals i s of t e n c r uel a nd t he c i t y government hopes i t can be gradually phased out, it said in a statement.

I t said i t was a matter of preserving Hanoi’s reputation as a “civilised and modern capital” among foreigners, many of whom consider it taboo to eat the meat of animals commonly kept as pets.

“The trading, killing and use of dog and cat meat has brought on a negative reaction from tourists and expatriates living in Hanoi,” the statement said.

There are about 493,000 dogs and cats in the city, the vast majority of which are kept as domesticated pets, and about 1,000 shops sell the meat of such animals.

Three people have died from rabies in Hanoi since the beginning of the year, and two others were confirmed infected with the disease, according to official figures.

Vietnam’s c a pi t a l c i t y is renowned globally for its street food, and its culinary staples such as pho noodle soup and pate banh mi sandwiches have reached menus around the world.

Hanoi also offers adventurous diners fried frog meat, duck embryo or hotpot turtle meat. – AFP