Buffalo fights in Do Son
Every year on the 9th day of the 8th month of the Vietnamese Lunar Calendar a brutal event takes place in the coastal village of Do Son, near Hai Phong. The buffalo fighting in Do Son is a traditional festival, soaked in many superstitions. Thousands of people gather to watch buffaloes fighting each other. Once a fight is complete, the winning animal will move on to the next round, until only one buffalo remains. Villagers believe that eating the meat of participating buffaloes, the winner in particular, will bring them good luck. Once the fights are over all buffaloes will be slaughtered in the streets and the whole village will eat buffalo meat that day. It’s quite a bloody scene. The village which owns the winning buffalo will supposedly have a new year full of good fortune.
Organisations like Animals Asia have raised their concerns, without any success.