For over 15 years, Vietnam’s government, together with NGOs, have been fighting to end the cruel practice of bear bile farming in Vietnam. Collective efforts have resulted in a 94% reduction in the number of bile bears in Vietnam, from 4,300 bears recorded in 2005 to 250 bears on bear farms by end of February 2023. Many bear owners across the country have voluntarily given up their bears thanks to great efforts made by local authorities. However, while significant progress has been made across the country, Hanoi remains the country’s #1 bear bile farming hotspot, with 135 bears on 24 farms accounting for 53% of the total bile bears in Vietnam! Of the 135 bears being kept at 24 Hanoi farms, 93% are kept in the rural district Phuc Tho alone, with 126 bears being kept there on 19 farms (all figures refer to end of February 2023).

Instead of leading the nation in efforts to end bear bile farming in Vietnam, Hanoi – Vietnam’s capital city – is way behind the rest of the country. While many other provinces have been working hard to end bear bile farming, Hanoi province has shown little improvements in efforts to deal with this industry, reflecting poorly upon overall efforts by the government to phase out bear bile farming throughout the rest of the country. Hanoi is the country’s capital, and therefore should be setting an example for other provinces to follow, and not create an embarrassment for Vietnam on the global stage.

It falls to the Hanoi government to instruct Hanoi authorities and local governments to step up and end bear bile farming in their jurisdictions, as well as to ensure that a precedent of zero tolerance is set for the rest of the country in dealing with the bear bile farming situation.

To end bile bear farming in Vietnam, we must end bile bear farming in Hanoi! Please sign our petition addressed to the Hanoi Government and help Hanoi’s bile bears!

FOUR PAWS provides a species-appropriate forever home for former bile bears at BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh. Watch this video below to see how we can give these bears a life they deserve.