Skip to main content

Southeast Asia

Animal rescue in Vietnam

Vietnam’s forests, rivers and coasts face habitat and wildlife-trade pressures. Animal care after confiscation and longer-term habitat protection are related needs with different…

By WARN Research & Conservation TeamLast updated

Find urgent animal help
An Asian black bear looking out from a hanging hammock at Kuangsi sanctuary in Laos.

Asian black bear photographed at Kuangsi sanctuary, Laos on 1 March 2010. The photograph illustrates sanctuary care; it does not establish a WARN partnership, grant or this bear’s individual rescue history. Photo: Zoe Shuttleworth / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Original file; display may be cropped. Original source · CC BY 2.0

In brief

Vietnam’s forests, rivers and coasts face habitat and wildlife-trade pressures. Animal care after confiscation and longer-term habitat protection are related needs with different responsibilities.

Key Facts About Vietnam

  • Habitat fragmentation is an important context for animal welfare and conservation.
  • The related appeals explain proposed purposes and their geographic scope.
  • Published grant records are separate from country and species information.

Forest and freshwater connections

The CBD country profile discusses habitat fragmentation, exploitation of natural resources and pressure on freshwater ecosystems. Its background includes historical and draft information; it should not be read as a live incident report or a current population census.

Care following wildlife confiscation

An intercepted animal may need specialist triage, suitable accommodation and an assessment of its longer-term needs. Ownership, health, legal authority and release suitability can all affect the outcome. A proposed grant should identify the responsible organisation and how continuing care would be funded.

How to assess a relevant appeal

Start with the stated purpose, its geographic scope and the current recipient status. Then look for a costed proposal, authority to do the work, an animal welfare approach and a reporting plan. Proposed support, an approved award and a completed payment are different stages. Country and species guides explain context; grant records establish what WARN has committed or paid.

Threats to Wildlife in Vietnam

Habitat fragmentation

Illegal hunting and wildlife trade

Unsustainable resource use

Water pollution

WARN’s role and funding status

WARN raises awareness and seeks funds for assessed animal welfare needs. Before an award, proposed recipients, activities, permissions, costs and reporting need review. This country guide is not a list of funded operations; check the public grant register for published decisions and payments.

Read the public grant registerHow recipients are assessed

Key Species in Vietnam

Vulnerable

Moon bear (Asiatic black bear)

Species guide Read more

Vulnerable

Sun bear

Species guide Read more

Critically Endangered

Sunda pangolin

Species guide Read more

Endangered / Vulnerable

Slow loris (multiple species)

Species guide Read more

Vietnam FAQ

What animal welfare issues does this Vietnam guide cover?
Vietnam’s forests, rivers and coasts face habitat and wildlife-trade pressures. Animal care after confiscation and longer-term habitat protection are related needs with different responsibilities.
Does this page confirm WARN has funded work in Vietnam?
No. It provides country and animal welfare context. Recipient selection, approved grants, payments and reported outcomes must be checked in the public grant register. Records not yet published means the status is unknown.
Can I restrict a gift to Vietnam?
Read the selected appeal’s purpose and geographic scope before donating. A link from this guide does not create a country-specific fund. Contact WARN before giving if you need a narrower restriction agreed.
How do I find urgent animal help in Vietnam?
Contact a suitable local veterinarian, animal rescue service or wildlife authority directly. Use the rescue help finder and directory to look for organisations, then verify their current contact details and ability to respond. WARN’s donation and contact pages are not emergency dispatch services.
Can I help by sharing this information?
Yes. Share the relevant guide or appeal with its sources, dates and recipient status. Do not describe an illustrative photograph as a current rescue or imply an organisation is a WARN partner without a published record.

Rescue Guides for Vietnam

Explore animal welfare and conservation topics connected to Vietnam. These explain needs and possible responses, rather than confirming funded WARN operations.

Malaysia · Wildlife trafficking

Pangolin Rescue in Malaysia

Pangolin rescue in Malaysia focuses on intercepting trafficked Sunda pangolins, stabilising seized animals, and releasing suitable survivors into protected habitat through specialist rehabilitation partners.

Southeast Asia · Companion animal rescue

Dog and Cat Meat Trade in Southeast Asia

The dog and cat meat trade in Southeast Asia moves companion animals through high-stress capture, transport and slaughter routes; rescue depends on enforcement, shelter capacity and demand reduction.

Southeast Asia · Exotic pet trade

Slow Loris Pet Trade Rescue

Slow loris pet trade rescue is difficult because trafficked lorises often arrive with clipped teeth, stress injuries and specialist dietary needs after being taken from the wild for viral exotic pet demand.

Malaysia · Transit routes

Malaysia Wildlife Trafficking

Malaysia wildlife trafficking matters because the country sits on key regional routes for pangolins, birds, reptiles and big-cat parts, making customs detection and live-animal rescue capacity especially important.

Pangolin rescue · Seizure response

What Happens to Seized Pangolins?

Seized pangolins are assessed by specialist teams, stabilised in quiet quarantine, treated for stress or injury, and released only if they are healthy, wild-behaving and have safe habitat available.

Slow loris · Pet trade injury

Rescued Slow Loris Teeth Removed

Slow loris teeth are often cut or pulled by traders to prevent biting; rescued lorises with dental damage need urgent veterinary care and may be unable to return to the wild.

UK donors · International cat welfare

Help Stray Cats Abroad

From the UK, you can help stray cats abroad by funding neutering, vaccination, emergency treatment, community cat care and shelter support in countries where local capacity is limited.

Vietnam · Breaking enforcement

400+ Stolen Cats Rescued in Vietnam Police Raid (June 2026)

In June 2026, police in Tay Ninh Province and Ho Chi Minh City dismantled an alleged cat-theft ring, recovering more than 400 live cats, around 80 dead cats on ice, and arresting nine people; welfare groups later reunited 40+ cats with owners.

Vietnam · Cat rescue

Cat Meat Trade in Vietnam

The cat meat trade in Vietnam captures, transports and slaughters cats through high-stress trade routes; rescue support funds seizure response, quarantine, veterinary care and shelter placement.

UK donors · Dogs and cats abroad

Donate to Help Dogs and Cats Abroad

UK supporters can donate to help dogs and cats abroad by funding partner-led veterinary care, neutering, vaccination, emergency rescue, shelter capacity and humane alternatives to culling or meat-trade suffering.

UK donors · Meat trade intent

Donate to Stop the Dog and Cat Meat Trade

To help dogs and cats affected by the meat trade, read the sourced welfare context and choose the dog-and-cat meat-trade appeal if its purpose matches your gift. WARN is raising funds towards assessed support; the appeal covers both species and does not confirm a recipient by itself.

Vietnam · Bear bile farming

Donate to Moon Bear Bile Farm Rescue

To support bears affected by bile farming, examine the proposed recipient’s authority, veterinary care and long-term accommodation plan. WARN’s moon-bear appeal raises funds towards eligible support; read its scope and grant status before donating.

UK donors · Combined giving

How to Donate to a Local Animal Shelter — UK & Abroad

Donate to a local animal shelter by giving to a registered UK rescue near you. Give on this page as well if you also want partner-led CNVR and meat-trade quarantine abroad. WARN does not operate UK kennels, does not rehome pets, and is not a local animal protection society.

UK donors · Symbolic cat adoption

Adopt a Cat Symbolically UK

Adopt a Cat symbolically through a donation. Celebrate your care for cats with a symbolic gift. This route supports the dog and cat meat-trade appeal, which covers both species; read the purpose before choosing your contribution. The gift does not assign a named animal or guarantee a particular treatment.

UK donors · Cat charity donations

Donate to a Cat Charity UK

Donate to a cat charity from the UK by matching the goal: a local registered rescue for rehoming nearby, or WARN — a UK CIC, not a charity — for partner-led community-cat TNVR and meat-trade quarantine in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

US donors · Symbolic cat adoption

Adopt a Cat from a Charity in the US

Adopt a Cat symbolically through a donation. Celebrate your care for cats with a symbolic gift. This route supports the dog and cat meat-trade appeal, which covers both species; read the purpose before choosing your contribution. The gift does not assign a named animal or guarantee a particular treatment.

US donors · Cat charity donations

Donate to a Cat Charity US

Donate to a cat charity from the US by matching the goal: a local shelter for rehoming nearby, or WARN — a UK CIC, not a 501(c)(3) — for partner-led community-cat TNVR and meat-trade quarantine in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Donor intent · Shelter giving

How to Donate to an Animal Shelter

Give to a registered rescue or humane society near you if you want kennel rehoming. Give on this page if you want partner-led CNVR, rabies vaccination and meat-trade quarantine abroad. WARN does not operate local dog and cat shelters, and it is not a local animal protection society.

Latest from Vietnam

Two stray cats — one grey tabby, one calico — sitting in a narrow Vietnamese street alley with yellow-painted walls

Briefings

Vietnam's Forgotten Cats: One Million a Year and the Hidden Side of the Meat Trade
An Asian black bear looking out from a hanging hammock at Kuangsi sanctuary in Laos.

Guides

Sun Bear vs Moon Bear: The Two Most Trafficked Asian Bears
Stray dog looking out from a wire enclosure in Southeast Asia

Briefings

Ten Million Dogs and Cats: The Hidden Scale of Southeast Asia's Meat Trade

Related animal welfare appeals

Explore a related cause and read its stated purpose, geographic scope and recipient status before donating. A link from this guide does not create a fund restricted to Vietnam.

A woman caring for dogs at a temporary shelter during the May 2024 floods in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
ACTIVE

Animal disaster response and preparedness

Help Animals After a Disaster

Explore emergency veterinary care, safe water, feed, shelter and preparedness for animals affected by disasters, and read the appeal’s funding purpose.

Support this appeal
A dog confined in a small wire basket at a dog-meat restaurant in Hoi An, Vietnam.
ACTIVE

Dog and cat welfare · Southeast Asia

End the Dog & Cat Meat Trade

Explore lawful rescue support, veterinary care, suitable shelter and locally led reform for dogs and cats affected by the meat trade.

Support this appeal
An Asian black bear looking out from a hanging hammock at Kuangsi sanctuary in Laos.
ACTIVE

Asiatic black bear welfare

Help Moon Bears

Learn about moon-bear recovery and responsible long-term care, and understand how these bears differ from the sun bears of Borneo and Sumatra.

Support this appeal
A Sunda pangolin moving along a thin branch among green leaves in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
ACTIVE

Pangolin welfare and conservation

Help Pangolins

Learn why pangolins affected by trafficking need specialist care, suitable habitat and careful release decisions. Explore assessed ways to help.

Support this appeal
A slow loris hanging upside down from thin branches at night in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand.
ACTIVE

Slow loris welfare and conservation

Help Slow Lorises

Explore the specialist needs of slow lorises affected by trafficking and habitat loss, from dental treatment to rehabilitation and safer habitat.

Support this appeal

Sources and how to use this guide

The CBD country profile provides background on biodiversity and habitat pressures. Its figures and policy sections include historical information, and some profiles are marked draft; it is not a live emergency feed. Follow dated original sources in the related appeals for incident information, and the linked species guides for assessment context.

Sources reviewed 8 September 2026. Country coverage does not establish a partnership with the organisations cited.

Help the Animals of Vietnam

Choose a relevant appeal, share reliable information or find local animal help. The general donation page offers unrestricted support and available appeal choices; it does not automatically restrict a gift to this country.

Donate Now