Visit Vietnam beach town and bet for the fastest dog

By Quynh Tran   March 10, 2017 | 08:31 pm PT
Every weekend, the southern beach town Vung Tau offers exciting greyhound races, currently the only one available for legal bets in Vietnam.
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The sandy 450-meter track at Lam Son Stadium has been the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Vietnam is set to allow sports betting that includes horse and greyhound races from late this month, but the Vung Tau game has been exclusively licensed since 2001.

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The greyhounds were imported from Australia, for nearly $2,500 each. Nguyen Van Tinh, a man taking care of the dogs, said the animals are trained for five months and each can attend races for around four years. “They are massaged and receive careful medical checks before every race,” Tinh said. 

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Visitors are allowed to pet the dogs as long as they are muzzled.

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The dogs are paraded around the track for 15 minutes before the audiences make their bets. They are numbered from one to eight for each race, and carry beautiful Vietnamese names.

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The bet amount is set from VND10,000, or 44 U.S. cents. The highest bet ever made was around VND1 million.

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Ten races are held each on Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m.

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The dogs can speed up to more than 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour in seconds. “It’s a very fun game. I did not imagine a dog can run that fast,” said a tourist from Hanoi.

Photos by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

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