thịt chó

Warning: If you are a dog lover, you might want to skip this post.



thịt (meat) chó (dog) means dog meat

I've been asked many times by my friends in Hanoi whether I've tried dog meat. I always tell them no and I don't plan to.
Eating dog meat is very much part of the Vietnamese culture. I guess it's relative - what is a delicacy to some may be repulsive to others. They eat dog meat just like they eat beef or pork. However, there are some significance to eating dog meat.
Vietnamese believe that eating dog meat drives away bad luck so they tend to want to eat dog meat at the end of the month, starting around the 20th of the month. This drives away bad luck for the month so that they are ready for the new month. It is very popular just before the Lunar New Year, so that they can start out fresh for the new year.
Black dogs are especially popular because they represent bad luck. Eating the "bad luck" will drive it away.
Where do they get the dogs? Dog buyers go around neighborhoods looking for dogs. They will ask the dog owners if they want to sell their dogs. So, they are not specially bred dogs but someone's pets.
One day I asked a good friend of mine about his dogs. He said he is sad; he can't eat dogs for two months. I asked him why. He told me that his father just sold one of his dogs. So, it's okay to eat dogs but not your own dog.
Below are pictures of a typical dog restaurant. They are not as common in the city center but more common as you go to the outskirts of the city. Some of the restaurants would display an entire dead dog to attract customers.

Again, if you find this story repulsive, please skip the pictures below.