Bringing Pets to Vietnam

I moved from Sydney Australia with my hubbie and two pugs...
Thanks! Shabana
    -@Shabana Cooke

You and your husband are relatively safe here, but your pug dogs are in almost constant danger when you don't have them secured behind a locked door/gate.

Even walking them on a leash may be seen as a golden opportunity to snatch them from you.

Please be careful and good luck!

O.B.

@Shabana Cooke

I just wanted to welcome you to the forum, and ensure you heed the words of OceanBeach92107in the post preceding this.

I've "lost" 2 dogs (almost 3, but one escaped and returned home, wounded, after a couple of days) and 6 cats since being here. All stolen, and sold to restaurants.

Your Pugs wouldn't fetch much as meat (too few kgs), but there is a huge demand here for pedigree dogs. Please be very careful, even when walking them on a leash. We really don't want to alarm you, but we certainly do want to caution you. Take a look at post #48, here, and the last paragraph in post #49 after it.

You didn't mention where in VN you're located. Is this your first visit?

@OceanBeach92107

I have not left the apartment since I arrived unless my husband is home with them. I am petrified that something bad will happen to them if I leave them alone.

We are in temporary accommodation for now but moving into our rented apartment in An Phu, Saigon in a couple of weeks. I have been advised that noone has access to my apartment unless I give them permission to enter - hoping that is true?

I was of the understanding Saigon and the expat districts are relatively safer?

@Aidan in HCMC

We only walk them on a leash and that two, both of us walking the two Pugs together.

We are super careful but now you have me extremely worried. I am in Saigon and will be staying more in a dense expat community. I am not sure these guys would be able to make it home, they are still so disorientated and honestly see no harm in anyone. They are so friendly that I worry even when someone wants to come and pat them as I think someone will steal them. Please tell me I am wrong otherwise I am going to spend my years glued to them quite literally.

    @OceanBeach92107
I have not left the apartment since I arrived unless my husband is home with them. I am petrified that something bad will happen to them if I leave them alone.

We are in temporary accommodation for now but moving into our rented apartment in An Phu, Saigon in a couple of weeks. I have been advised that noone has access to my apartment unless I give them permission to enter - hoping that is true?

I was of the understanding Saigon and the expat districts are relatively safer?
   

    -@Shabana Cooke

Especially considering how you've described your dogs as friendly and fearless, I'd only reiterate that they will almost certainly remain safe if they are with you on a leash or locked behind a gate or a door.

There's no 100% certain guarantee that you won't have a problem, but the more you remain vigilant, the less you'll need to worry.

Good luck!

Hello everyone,

Welcome @Shabana Cooke

Please note that this new thread has been created on the Vietnam forum from your posts for better interaction.

All the best

Bhavna

    @Aidan in HCMC
We only walk them on a leash and that two, both of us walking the two Pugs together.

We are super careful but now you have me extremely worried. I am in Saigon and will be staying more in a dense expat community. I am not sure these guys would be able to make it home, they are still so disorientated and honestly see no harm in anyone. They are so friendly that I worry even when someone wants to come and pat them as I think someone will steal them. Please tell me I am wrong otherwise I am going to spend my years glued to them quite literally.
        -@Shabana Cooke

Sorry about that. As I mentioned earlier, it's not my or anyone's intent to cause you alarm. We want only to caution you. As stated by OceanBeach92107, vigilance is key.

I'm a confirmed dog lover. I "own" three, but I care for six. The other three are (supposedly) the neighbour's dogs but they now bark and growl at him until I call them to heel. I feel sort of embarrassed for the neighbour, but I'm not sure he's even phased in the slightest about his dogs jumping ship, as it were.

I'll offer a couple of tips, if I may.

Buy a leash and collar which are not easily cut (chain leash, rawhide collar).

Never walk your dogs on the curb-side of the sidewalk, always walk them with you between them and the road. "Snatching" of purses, cameras, phones, pets etc by motorbike perps is a real thing here. A real, real thing. The word rife comes to mind.

Never leash your pets to a post/tree/pole if it is more that ~2 meters from you. Like I mentioned, dogs such as your Pugs would command a handsome price here, and would certainly present as tempting targets, especially so if the owner (you) is not obviously present.

I really wouldn't be too concerned about people coming over to pat them. In fact, I wouldn't be too worried about that at all. Every instance of theft I've heard of, and experienced, has been one of opportunity. Local people here do not take kindly to dognappers, often meting out harsh/brutal punishments, vigilante style (warning: graphic VN Express video), so a quick grab-run is necessarily part of a dog-thief's M.O.

I hate to use an analogy comparing an inanimate object with that of your pets, but I wouldn't put my dog in a position where I wouldn't put my Rolex (any of my dogs, to me, are worth more than any trinket).

Be aware of your surroundings, and the fact that you are walking with what would amount to an average citizen's month of pay.

VN Express search results "dog thieves"