Police in the southern Hau Giang Province arrested a man with four dogs he allegedly helped gun down on Saturday.
Tam, 33, was caught as he and another person were carrying the dogs they had shot down with stun guns to sell to local restaurants early on Saturday morning. The Phong reports on VNExpress.
The pair were spotted with two suspects carrying another three dogs they had killed and stolen. The police arrested Tam but the others managed to flee.
Dog theft is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam unless the stolen animals are valued at more than VND2 million ($86).
This heartbreaking image shows the cooked dogs, ready to be served to customers
Vietnam consumes an estimated five million dogs a year, second only to China’s 20 million.
The practice has received widespread criticism as the dogs eaten are usually pets stolen and killed in brutal ways.
Recently, Hanoi has called on residents to stop eating cats and dogs, arguing that the killing and selling of dogs and cats for human consumption have undermined its image in the eyes of international tourists and expats.
The capital city also annnounced plans to ban dog meat from 2021.