Vietnam's cat meat trade operates in a legal vacuum, forcing prosecutors to use theft charges

Ho Chi Minh City police arrested nine people and rescued 400+ cats in June 2026, charging them under theft and food safety laws rather than animal welfare statutes. Vietnam has no national ban on dog or cat meat consumption, though an estimated one million cats are slaughtered annually. Advocacy groups have long pushed for explicit statutory prohibition. Without national legislation, enforcement remains sporadic and jurisdictionally constrained, leaving supply networks capable of reconstituting after individual operations.