Los Angeles may soon establish a sister city relationship with Hanoi, with local leaders and advocates hoping the partnership could help spur an end to the dog and cat meat trade in the Vietnamese capital.
The proposal, introduced by Los Angeles Councilmember Bob Blumenfield in February and seconded by Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, aims to create a sister city relationship between Los Angeles and Hanoi.
While the resolution itself does not make the partnership explicitly contingent on a ban of the dog and cat meat trade — which animal rights advocates say claims the lives of millions of dogs and cats annually—the idea originated with animal advocates who envisioned the condition as central to the agreement.
“Our thinking was that if Hanoi banned or phased out dog and cat meat, the rest of the country may do so as well,” said Jeffrey Mausner, co-founder of the Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition and a key backer of the initiative.
Blumenfield said the sister city relationship is not conditional upon animal welfare reform, but said he hoped that the partnership could lead to progress through diplomatic engagement.
“We hope the Sister City relationship might prove to be an inducement for Hanoi to end their dog meat trade, as well as create a lasting bond like we share with other cities around the world,” he said in a statement Thursday, April 17.
Blumenfield added: “The dog/cat meat issue was cited as a motivator causing our constituents to bring this idea to us and it was one of the reasons we wanted to pursue this new connection.”
If the sister city relationship is approved by the City Council, it will be L.A.’s first sister city in Vietnam—a move that could carry symbolic weight in a region that is home to one of the largest Vietnamese American diasporas in the U.S.
The February motion was referred to the City Council’s Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, where it has remained. It has drawn strong support locally and online, including from animal welfare groups and community advocates. An online petition backing the proposal has garnered more than 9,500 signatures.
Since 2018, the Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition, along with other animal rights activists, have been working to end the consumption of dog and cat meat worldwide.
In 2019, the coalition convinced the Los Angeles City Council to pass a resolution opposing the sale and consumption of dog meat in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
In January 2024–with support from American veterans of the Korean War and some celebrity advocates–the coalition celebrated a milestone in Korea where the National Assembly passed a nationwide ban on the breeding and slaughter of dogs for food.
The Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition has also seen some success in China. In 2020, China’s Ministry of Agriculture removed dogs from its list of approved domesticated livestock.
While the change did not explicitly outlaw the sale of dogs for meat, Mauser said it marked a step forward, helping local activists push for stronger enforcement and cultural shifts.
The coalition is now focusing on Vietnam, where an estimated 5 million dogs and 1 million cats are killed for meat annually, the highest per capita rate in the world, according to Mauser.
“So when you think about that, 13,000 dogs a day, and 2,700 cats a day (are) killed,” Mausner said. “Just think about that, that’s more dogs than come in and out of our shelters. We are trying to save the lives of those dogs, but look at how many dogs are being killed in Vietnam.”
The proposal has received broad support from animal activists and local communities, including In Defense of Animals, an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters, and the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, a coalition representing Neighborhood Councils in the San Fernando Valley.
Mausner said he is optimistic that a potential ban on the dog and cat meat trade will win support in Vietnam.
“There’s been polling done in Vietnam regarding dogs and cats, and the vast majority of people in Vietnam oppose it and want it banned,” he said. “And 95% of Vietnamese do not believe that it’s part of their culture to eat dogs and cats.”
But some advocates say it’s important to consider the broader political context.
Quyen Mai, executive director of the Vietnamese American Organization, a San Jose-based civic engagement nonprofit, said that while City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield’s proposal is well-intentioned, any formal relationship with the Vietnamese government should be approached with care.
“While the proposal to promote animal welfare through a sister city relationship with Hanoi is thoughtful, it’s important to acknowledge Vietnam’s broader human rights concerns,” Mai said. “Freedom of speech, religion, expression, and civil society activism are all tightly restricted, with the government cracking down on dissent and online activity. Vietnam received a 19/100 rating from Freedom House.”
Mai suggested, “As Los Angeles considers this partnership, it should engage with the Vietnamese American community—one of the largest in L.A. and California—to ensure the relationship reflects our core democratic values.”