Many forms of illegal poultry slaughtering that have not undergone inspection, as well as unlicensed small-scale slaughterhouses, continue to exist in Ho Chi Minh City.
Makeshift Slaughterhouses
On October 30th, we visited the area around Binh Hung Hoa Cemetery, a location known for large-scale live poultry trading. At noon, just about 150 meters along Binh Long Street (Tan Quy Ward, Tan Phu District), there were over 20 points selling live chickens and ducks. Hundreds of chickens and ducks were displayed openly along the roadside.
Upon seeing us stop, a vendor promoted a type of duck from the Mekong Delta priced at 60,000 VND per pair. If we wanted it prepared on the spot, she added an extra 5,000 VND. After we nodded in agreement, she grabbed the duck by the head, plucked a few feathers from its neck, and used a small pair of scissors to slit its throat right on the sidewalk. Then, in a hurry, she carried the duck into a thicket in a nearby vacant lot. It turned out that the thicket concealed a makeshift slaughterhouse.
This “slaughterhouse” was simply a tin bucket placed over a fire with three bricks to boil water for feather plucking. The vendor inserted a straw into the duck’s throat and blew a few breaths. “This makes the skin taut, making it easier to process,” she explained. Next, she placed the duck into a dark, murky bucket of water. Quickly, she set the duck down and used her bare hands to pluck its feathers.
From our observation, there were dozens of such makeshift slaughterhouses hidden in the bushes along the road. All of them were dirty and emitted a strong foul smell.
Not only in this area, but at many markets, we were also invited by vendors to have chickens and ducks slaughtered on the spot for a fee ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 VND per bird.
Slaughterhouses: Overloaded!
According to the veterinary station in District 5, for the past two months, they have consistently discovered establishments storing live poultry of unclear origin, with numbers ranging from dozens to hundreds. Notably, on October 22nd, the District 5 veterinary team found a household on Nguyen Trai Street (Ward 14) that was storing over 100 chickens (mostly local breeds). When the veterinary staff requested proof of origin for these chickens, the owner fled. |
On a day near the end of October, around 11 PM, on a stretch of road less than 100 meters along National Highway 50, Ward 5, District 8 (near the District 8 bus station), nearly ten trucks carrying chickens and ducks gathered in front of poultry depots. Many workers were still taking advantage of the opportunity to have dinner on the sidewalk in preparation for slaughtering tasks. As the night progressed, more trucks transporting poultry arrived. After the trucks were inspected by the District 8 veterinary staff for “documentation,” the chickens and ducks were quickly loaded onto high piles on three-wheeled carts to be taken to nearby slaughterhouses.
Slaughtering activities in this area peak between midnight and 3 AM. After slaughtering, the poultry is temporarily placed in plastic bags and even stacked into small baskets for transport to packaging points. A local government official from Ward 5 candidly commented, “The process and hygiene standards in these slaughterhouses are only average; some facilities are quite makeshift.”
According to the District 8 veterinary station, there are only six licensed slaughterhouses operating in Ward 5. However, due to the massive demand for poultry, these slaughterhouses are always running at full capacity. On average, the volume of poultry transported here fluctuates between 3,500 and over 5,000 birds per day and night, primarily from provinces like Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Because the licensed slaughterhouses cannot meet the demand, many unlicensed small slaughterhouses are also involved in the slaughtering process.
Despite having 23 unlicensed slaughterhouses, and some being subject to administrative penalties, including confiscation of poultry, the local government in Ward 5, District 8, states that complete enforcement is very difficult as this is a traditional slaughtering area. Some households have found ways to evade detection by notifying each other when inspection teams arrive. Some would quickly shut their doors when urban order teams showed up and then disperse the chickens to other locations.
QUANG KHẢI – YẾN TRINH
