Under a new government decree issued on June 11, which regulates administrative penalties in the veterinary sector, dog owners who allow their pets to roam freely in public without supervision will face the same financial penalties.
The new fines are up to 2.5 times higher than current regulations, which penalize offenders between VND600,000 and 800,000.
A woman walks a dog across a street in Ho Chi Minh City, April 2025. Photo by Dang Le |
The decree also targets broader public health and veterinary violations. Animal owners who fail to vaccinate their pets against rabies will face fines of VND1 million to 2 million, while failing to implement other mandatory disease-prevention measures will incur fines between VND200,000 and 300,000. Owners who fail to isolate, care for, or treat animals showing signs of illness can be fined up to VND1.5 million.
Stricter penalties have been established for environmental contamination and illegal trading. Individuals who dispose of diseased animal carcasses or products in public places, or who trade in animals infected with contagious diseases, will face fines ranging from VND5 million to 6 million.
Market traders will face fines of VND4 million to 5 million if they operate in undesignated areas, fail to separate species, utilize inadequate equipment or water supplies, or fail to properly disinfect facilities and collect waste.
The government is also clamping down on improper pharmaceutical use and biosecurity breaches. Fines of VND6 million to 8 million will be imposed for using veterinary drugs that lack circulation permits in Vietnam, lack competent authority approval, are of unknown origin, or are past their expiration dates. The same fine applies to those who fail to properly destroy diseased animals or contaminated products.
The highest penalties in the decree target biosecurity violations. Anyone transporting diseased animals, contaminated animal products, or infectious animal waste out of an epidemic zone without authorization will be fined between VND15 million and 20 million.
According to the decree, organizations committing any of these violations will be subject to fines twice as high as those imposed on individuals.
The new regulations will officially take effect on Aug. 1.
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