Cats

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May 6, 2012 - 3:40pm
#1
JayJay (not verified)
Cats

Hi Tomo,
I'm currently working in South Korea with my lovely cat, Oscar. I'm next planning on working in Vietnam. I'm going to bring him with me. Any ideas how likely it is that I can find vet care for him? What about common supplies like cat kibble, and kittie litter? I heard that cats are not considered pets to the Vietnamese. When I arrive, I will probably be staying in a hotel or guest house until I can find an apartment. Will they let me keep a cat in my room?
Thanks very much for any help you can give me!
Best,
Jay.

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October 11, 2012 - 2:45pm
#2
Anonymous

To revive this thread, we have a cat and a dog. Just wondering about potential landlords and how agreeable they'd be to renting their (furnished) house to us. Anyone have any info on this?

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October 11, 2012 - 6:48pm
(Reply to #6) #3
tomo

For furnished houses I'm not sure because either they see more demand from pet-owners or they have more furnishings at risk. But often furnishings in houses for rent in Saigon are rather minimal and not the kind that can be torn up easily.

A friend who was looking to rent a furnished apartment for two big dogs met a lot of resistance from landowners although he did eventually find a nicely furnished one.

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July 19, 2012 - 6:39am
#4
Anonymous

Hi. We have just arrived in HCMC with our cat. We are staying the the Hoang Le Hotel in District 7 and they LOVE the cat. They give us sand for her box and even clean her box out for us. The owners and staff here are SUPER friendly and helpful and the neighbourhood, even though it is not District One, has everything you could need and seems nice and safe. FYI do NOT send your cat by cargo. Make sure he is in Checked baggage. Retrieving him from cargo is a NIGHTMARE.

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May 8, 2012 - 5:50am
#5
Anonymous

Thanks very much, that's very helpful!

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May 7, 2012 - 11:48pm
#6
tomo

People do have pet cats and dogs here. Foreigners do bring pets from abroad into the country. There are an increasing number of pet shops throughout the city. There is no major pet store chain or big store specializing in pets but some of the major supermarkets also sell common pet food and supplies.

Stray cats are probably much more common though. I would say that even dogs were not a very common pet before but they are becoming more common.

I think many hotels will give you trouble for keeping a cat in your room but you should be able to find someone who will allow it. In Vietnam, these things are always negotiable and there is an endless line of small hotel proprietors needing to fill rooms in central Saigon.

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May 10, 2012 - 12:28pm
(Reply to #2) #7
tomo

An example of a pet store would be Oh My Pet on Huynh Van Ban St. in Phu Nhuan District run by an expat.

For dogs, there is a Facebook group for dog-owners in Saigon: https://www.facebook.com/groups/262589443766505/

And here is a list of pet stores and dog food stores in Saigon: http://machspeedwhippets.wordpress.com/info-for-dog-owners-in-saigon/pet-shops-dog-food-suppliers-in-saigon/

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Asian-American expat living in Vietnam over 3 years. I am involved in tech startups and do Drupal consulting. I choose to live in Saigon and Vietnam and I want to see the city and its people reach their true potential.

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After the Vietnam/American War ended in 1975, many place names ceased to exist such as Saigon, South Vietnam, and plenty of street names.

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