Pet funerals becoming a big deal

The 18-month-old cat had been diagnosed with depression by the vet.

On a stormy day the sound of thunder and lightning scared Bim so much that he jumped from the third floor and unfortunately died.

After losing his pet, Huy was devastated and wanted it to be cremated so that he could have the ashes to remember it by.

"I considered Bim my own child, and so of course I want a proper funeral," the 27-year-old from Hoc Mon District says.

About 45 minutes later, a funeral worker was at the scene, condoled with Huy and took Bim away.

After a while Huy received photos of Bim cleaned, dried, swaddled in white cloth, and placed on a tray adorned with yellow chrysanthemums and candles.

The "funeral" lasted 15 minutes, after which Bim was taken to be cremated.

Huy paid VND2 million (US$82) for this service.

Six hours later he received an urn containing Bim’s ashes. He placed it and Bim’s bowl on a wooden platform hanging in a corner of his room as a memorial.

An urn with his cat Bim’s ashes in Hung Huy’s home in Hoc Mon District, HCMC, in September 2023. Photo by VnExpress/ Ngoc Ngan

The pet funeral service that Huy used opened three years ago, but only became well-known this year.

Pet funeral services have become a necessity as more and more Vietnamese get pets and consider them a member of their family.

At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the pet industry saw a boom, growing at the second fastest rate in Southeast Asia, according to market research company iPrice.

The boom sparked off a surge in related services as well.

How to handle dead pets is also a problem that needs to be addressed in cities, which usually do not have enough land to bury them.

Ho Dac Trung, the owner of a pet funeral service in Thu Duc City, says in the past pet owners in HCMC had two ways to get rid of their dead animals: throw them into a landfill or take them to the Binh Hung Hoa Cremation Center in Binh Tan District.

But nowadays pet funeral services are becoming their top choice, he says.

A quick survey done by VnExpress found around six centers offering the service, with cremation being a common option at prices of VND1-4 million depending on the weight of the dead animal.

Trung says demand for the service has increased by 30% since January this year, with customers being usually in the 25-35 age bracket.

His center receives 35-40 requests a week.

A cat in the midst of being prepared for the funeral at Trung’s center in Thu Duc City, HCMC, Sept. 10, 2023. Photo courtesy of Trung

The service includes going to the owner’s house to collect the pet’s corpse, arranging a funeral (if requested) and cremating it (with the option of collecting the ashes), and the price ranges from VND540,000 to VND2.9 million.

Trung’s center usually takes in cats and dogs that died of old age or in an accident. They are cleaned with alcohol and dried to prepare for the funeral. The animal’s paws are dipped in ink to make imprints on paper, and some of their fur and claws are cut off as a memento for their owner.

A funeral usually lasts 15-30 minutes. The pet’s name and the day it died are written on a board. Trung then sets up a camera to record the reading of the owner’s eulogy if it is provided and wishes for it rest in peace.

The owners are usually absent from the funeral, and instead watch the proceedings on videos or photos.

Tran Sinh, director of the Pet Service Training Academy in HCMC, quotes a report by the Pet Fair Asia organization that says in 2021 the pet care industry in Southeast Asia was worth nearly US$4 billion.

Vietnam accounted for 13% of that number, or $500 million, and its market is growing at 11% a year, he says.

The habit of throwing animal corpses into ponds, lakes and other water bodies has an impact on the environment and people’s health, especially if the animal has a transmittable disease, he points out.

Pet funerals are not only a solution to this problem, but also show owners’ compassion.

But authorities need to monitor funeral businesses to ensure they follow environmental laws and regulations on disposal of animal corpses.

Cremation is considered the most suitable option when it comes to larger pets. In September this year 44-year-old Le Ha living of District 12 was distraught but also confused when her 35kg Rottweiler named Shadow was dying.

She says: "He weighed a lot, and there was nowhere in the city to bury him. I could not bring myself to take him to a dump site. Besides, it is against the law."

The vet told her to try a funeral service.

A jar with Shadow’s fur, his cremation certificate, and his urn in Le Ha’s home in District 12, HCMC, September 2023. Photo by VnExpress/ Ngoc Ngan

Ha called them as soon as Shadow passed away at around 1 a.m. The funeral cost her VND3 million, and she received a jar containing Shadow’s fur and claw along with his ashes the next day.

Occasionally she would scroll through photos and videos of Shadow, and take comfort in the knowledge that he was taken care of until his very last breath on earth.

Trung once accepted the funerals of Miu and Luc, two dogs that had died of electrocution in Thu Duc City.

Though the family was not wealthy, they chose his services since they believed the dogs had saved their own lives.

Huynh Thuy, a 29-year-old living in District 12, says that she paid VND1.5 million for her cat Mit’s funeral, who was by her side for a year and helped to comfort her.

The day Mit died, an employee confirmed a pick-up time on the phone and consoled Thuy by saying that her cat had "finished its mission" and passed away peacefully.

"I always want to preserve the happiest memories of Mit, even if Mit is not with me anymore," she says.