Animals Asia’s campaign to free 23 bears starving to death on a bear farm in Halong Bay was buoyed by coverage in both Vietnam’s government controlled and mainstream media.

With over 80,000 people from around the world having signed the letter to Vietnam’s PM, the campaign was positively covered in the Vietnamese media last week – much of which is controlled by the state.

Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director Tuan Bendixsen said:

“Many of Vietnam’s publications represent party organs, so it’s very encouraging that they have almost all given sustained and positive coverage to the tragedy unfolding in Halong Bay.”

“With so many people around the world watching the situation it is becoming impossible to avoid here in Vietnam”

Publications representing the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnamese Labour Union, the Ministry of Rural Development and the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City authorities covered events unfolding in Quang Ninh province.

The private press too picked up the news with the country’s two leading publications by readership, Thanh Nien and Tuoi Tre, running pieces on the story.

Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“The fact that so many influential publications were given the green light to print stories on the situation is very positive and will add to the pressure on both bear farmers and government departments to see that the cruelty is not allowed to continue.

“Support from around the world is making us stronger and having a very real bearing on the situation.”

Vietnamese television also covered events with Voice of Vietnam, Hanoi TV and VTC 14 all providing coverage.

At the time of publication, Animals Asia was aware of 37 Vietnamese media outlets that had run the story.

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