By Cat Besch, Founder
Welcome to Uncaged: A New Chapter Begins
This is the first in a new blog featuring stories from Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue: unfiltered accounts from the frontlines of vegan animal rescue in Vietnam.
Since 2013, we’ve worked to save animals in crisis: dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, and more. Some were rescued from cages, others from slaughterhouses, and some from neglect just outside our gate. All of them deserved a chance.
But rescue alone isn’t enough. To change the world for animals, we must confront the root causes of their suffering: speciesism, systemic cruelty, and truths many rescues avoid.
Uncaged is where we share those realities. It won’t always be easy to read, but it will be real. Animals don’t get to look away, and neither should we.
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The VAAR Journey So Far
Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue began in 2013 with a mission that was simple but radical: help any animal we could, regardless of species.
We opened Vietnam’s first farm animal sanctuary, launched the country’s only nonprofit veterinary clinic, and built a rescue that refused to prioritize animals based on public popularity. From the beginning, we’ve stood for total compassion—dogs and cats, yes, but also pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, and wildlife.
While others focused solely on ending the dog and cat meat trade, we chose a broader path. We refused to soften our ethics to attract funding or avoid backlash. That commitment has shaped everything we do.
Rescue Realities: Lola’s Story
Lola was four years old when we found her locked in a small concrete pen near Hoi An, living in her own waste. Her body had been pushed to its limit. Used solely for breeding and no longer “productive,” she was scheduled for slaughter.
She couldn’t see. Fat deposits obscured her eyes. She had never lived with another pig, only visited by a boar for breeding and left alone after her babies were taken. Unsurprisingly, she had no reason to trust humans.
When she came to live with us, everything changed, but healing took time. It took nearly a year before she let us touch her belly. She never bonded with our other pig, Julian, but she did learn what it meant to feel safe.
What shocked us most wasn’t Lola’s trauma—it was the indifference from the public. We were praised for rescuing dogs but questioned for saving pigs. Some supporters even asked why we didn’t eat the pigs once they got sick.
When Lola’s health declined, finding veterinary help was nearly impossible. Most vets are trained to treat pigs as food, not as patients. In the end, we had to make the painful choice to euthanize both Lola and Julian.
Lola’s story isn’t just about one pig. It’s about what happens when animals fall outside the narrow circle of compassion that defines mainstream rescue.
The Harsh Truth of Rescue Work
Rescue work isn’t heartwarming montages and adoption success stories. It’s relentless need, limited resources, and daily ethical dilemmas.
We’re contacted constantly by people asking us to take in animals we can’t care for. Saying no is painful. It never gets easier.
Donors often give only when things look desperate. But effective rescue requires steady support, not just emergency funds.
We’re also told to tone it down. Speaking honestly about grief, burnout, or injustice gets labeled as negative or extreme. Advocating for all animals, not just dogs and cats, often draws criticism.
Still, we stay. Because if we don’t name what’s broken, we can’t expect it to change.
The Four Pillars of Uncaged
Uncaged is a lens through which we examine the realities of rescue and advocacy. We do so without censorship and without compromise. These four pillars define the voice and vision of what we’re building here.
Hard Truths
We will talk openly about the losses, the failures, and the ethical challenges we face. Not because we want pity, but because these truths matter, and they are too often left out of the conversation.
The Voiceless
We are here to amplify the stories of those who are most easily ignored: the pigs, chickens, ducks, and other animals who rarely make headlines, and the people on the ground doing the work: the caretakers and local staff whose voices often go unheard.
Animal Liberation
We believe true animal liberation means ending all exploitation, not just the most visible or politically convenient forms. Our rescue is rooted in veganism because animals are not here for us. They are individuals, not commodities.
Transparency
We won’t present a curated version of our work. We will share what it’s really like to run a rescue in Vietnam. We share this in all its messy, uncertain, sometimes overwhelming being. We hope that honesty builds trust, but regardless, it’s what the animals deserve.
Why Vegan Rescue Matters
Every year in Vietnam, roughly five million dogs are killed for the meat trade—a number that rightly sparks outrage. But alongside them, over 600 million chickens are slaughtered. Globally, more than 70 billion land animals and trillions of sea animals are killed annually for food.
And yet, most rescues don’t talk about this. It’s easier to rally support for dogs than for chickens. It’s easier to condemn a dog butcher than to question what’s on our own plates.
At VAAR, we can’t separate our rescue work from the larger systems that harm animals. We don’t believe anyone sets out to cause suffering, but silence sustains the industries that profit from it. Our work is rooted in veganism because it’s the most consistent expression of compassion. It’s how we align our care for animals with the choices we make every day.
We also know that change doesn’t happen through shame. Our message is about showing that there’s another way. A kinder way. A way forward that doesn’t require complicity in the very violence we work so hard to stop.
We say these things not because they’re easy, but because they’re true. Even if it costs us. Because animals deserve justice.
Stay With Us, Even When It Hurts
We know these stories aren’t easy to read. They’re not meant to be. Rescue is not clean or safe. But turning away doesn’t stop suffering. Facing it together is how we make change.
We’re not here to perform optimism. We’re here to show what caring really means. This blog exists to bring you into the reality of what it means to care for animals in a world that devalues them.
And if you’re still reading, it means you care too.
Your support—steady, thoughtful, and real—is what makes this work possible. We invite you to stay with us. Ask questions. Share our work. Be part of the change.
Join the Movement
If this post resonated with you, you’re not alone and you’re not powerless. Every person who shares, supports, or speaks out helps push back against the systems that harm animals.
Join us:
- Subscribe to our email newsletter
- Follow VAAR’s Uncaged blog
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
- Share this post
- Donate if you can; sustained support keeps our animals safe
- Reach out with questions or thoughts
This is just the beginning. Uncaged will grow with each story we tell, each life we protect, and each person who refuses to look away.
