LA-Hanoi Sister City Plan Could Help End Dog Meat Trade in Vietnam
The city of Los Angeles may soon play a pivotal role in ending the dog and cat meat trades in Vietnam as progress continues on a sister-city initiative that has been in the works since September 2024. The Los Angeles City Council has previously taken a strong stance against the dog meat trade, including passing a unanimous resolution in 2019 urging the governments of China, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia to put an end to it. The new effort to establish a sister-city relationship between LA and Hanoi is part of the city's ongoing commitment to driving change for the 5 million dogs slaughtered annually for human consumption in Vietnam. This initiative would only move forward if Hanoi agrees to ban both the dog and cat meat trades.
A major step toward making this initiative a reality came when LA Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recently introduced a motion to move forward with the plan. The motion is now open for public comments and we need the LA City Council members to know there is widespread support for the motion.
You can help get this initiative passed by submitting a public comment here.
When the LA City Clerk Connect page opens, click on the icon that looks like a pencil and paper and says “NEW” in red at the top of the page.
You can leave a comment as simple as:
"I support City Council File 25-0193. Los Angeles should do everything in its power to help end the dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam, and I urge you to vote yes on the motion to establish a sister-city relationship with Hanoi."
After submitting your comment, you will receive an email asking you to confirm. You must click the validation button in that email for your comment to count.
These comments will become part of the public record, therefore if you prefer not to have your name attached, you can leave the name field blank or use your initials. Your email address is required for confirmation but will not be made public.
You can also help by joining over 25,000 people who have signed our petition demanding that the Vietnamese government follow through on its commitment to phase out dog meat in Hanoi.