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This February 24 – the sixth day of the new lunar year – a small village of Vietnam’s Bac Ninh province close to the capital Hanoi, will be the scene of horrific animal cruelty.

The climax of the Nem Thuong Festival will feature a slow public slaughter of two live pigs.

In the morning the terrified animals will be bound in tiny cages and paraded around the village with a stress-inducing accompaniment of horns and drums.

When they’ve reached their destination, ropes will tie the pigs’ hoofs to a ceremonial cart holding the animals prone on their backs while their heads hang over the edge.

A frenzied climax will end with the terrified animals having their throats cut in front of the crowd.

Following decapitation, bank notes are dipped into the animals’ blood in the hope of procuring good fortune in the New Year.

Now we are calling on the Vietnamese authorities to end the Nem Thuong Pig Slaughter Festival.

Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director, Tuan Bendixsen said:

“The survival of this barbaric festival is utterly at odds with modern Vietnam. Such superstition and traditions based on cruelty belong to the past.  We believe that it should end now.  At the very least we want organisers to think long and hard before carrying out the tradition in coming years.”

Animal Welfare Officer Nguyen Tam Thanh said:

“There will be those who try to hide this cruelty behind tradition. Such a defence is absolutely unsustainable. There is no cultural value in perpetuating animal cruelty. The New Year Festival can continue in Nem Thuong village – we are just asking that people do so without cruelly slaughtering live animals and rubbing money in their blood for superstitious reasons.”

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