The four great national Vietnamese dogs are intelligent and agile dog breeds that become friendly friends at home.
Let’s find out more details about them, including their origin, characteristics, and price on the market today.
Phu Quoc dog
Phu Quoc dog, also known as Phu Quoc Ridgeback, appeared about 400 years ago on Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. They are an extremely rare breed in the world with a vortex running along the back.
An adult Phu Quoc dog is about 35 – 40cm long. Their coat of vortex is hard, tends to grow back, and has a darker swirl color than on the body. Their vortices are various types but are symmetrical through the spine and the vortex width is not over the back.
The feet of Phu Quoc dogs have a thin membrane like a duck, so they can swim without training.
These dogs are intelligent and sensitive with good physical strength to move strongly. However, this kind of dog is quite aggressive with a high hunting ability and can hunt large prey.
Currently, the price of Phu Quoc dogs is in the range of 5,000,000 – 6,000,000 VND.
Bac Ha dog
Bac Ha dogs originate from the Northwest mountains, in the territory of Lao Cai province, Vietnam. The locals also call it the Vietnamese poodle. These dogs often guard houses or work as hunting ones for the H’Mong people, becoming lovely friends when traveling in the forest.
Bac Ha dog has a medium size with a firm body and moves extremely agile on the mountainous terrain. Their noses are sensitive, making them excellent hunting dogs.
Normally, an adult dog of Bac Ha will be about 50-60cm tall, weighing about 19 – 26kg for male and 16-23kg for female dogs.
These dogs have long, thick, and spiky coats that look like a lion’s mane. But not all Bac Ha dogs have a mane, the ones with the mane are more expensive. Compared with other dogs in Vietnam, the Bac Ha dog is wild and has high survival ability because it lives in the harsh environment of the high mountains.
These dogs are raised to keep the house and lead them to hunt. They are assistants and companions to the indigenous people here. This breed loves herds, likes to live in the highlands, and is quite flexible and quick-moving, so it is also suitable for all terrains. These dogs are always loyal and protect their owners extremely well.
Currently, one Bac Ha dog ranges from 600,000 VND to 2,000,000 VND depending on age, feather color, and shape.
Jasmine dog
Jasmine dog (Chó Lài in Vietnamese) is known as the Indochinese Dingo, a purebred Vietnamese dog. There are many documents recording that 6000 years ago, traces of this breed were found in the Indochina peninsula. This dog often appears in Lao Cai and mountainous provinces in the Northwest Midlands to look after the house, take care of cattle, and support the owners to travel to the forest.
For the Mong people, the Jasmine dog is their friend and spiritual support. The dog can go to the forest to hunt for food when needed. These dogs are brave hunters, they like to go to the forest to hunt wild animals, wild chickens, and mice.
This kind of dog is very intelligent and agile, but also aggressive. It is extremely loyal and uses its life to protect its owners from the dangers around them. Although the personality is a bit wild, if trained properly, this dog will be a great pet because of its good memory.
An adult Jasmine dog will have a height of from 45 to 65 cm and a weight of 23 to 32 kg. However, there are a few old ones weighing up to 40kg. Their bodies are longer in proportion to their height. Usually, male dogs are slightly larger than female ones.
One Jasmine dog about 2 months old, weighing from 5 to 7 kg, is sold for around 1,000,000 VND.
H’Mong Short-Tail dog
The Hmong Short-Tail dogs are a crossbreed between a jackal and a native dog. They live in the Northwest mountains, so their nature is very wild. The H’Mong have tamed them for hunting, looking after livestock, and housekeeping.
This dog type is on average 45-55cm tall and weighs 15-25kg. They were born in the wild, so they have good resistance, and the ability to adapt quickly whether it is hot or cold.
The H’Mong Short-Tail has the strong point of high intelligence and extremely good memory. They remember the roads very well, so they are often a companion with the H’Mong people when hunting and travelling.
If you pay close attention when the Hmong dog is wary of something, the forehead will be wrinkled; otherwise, it will be very flat.
Currently, one short-tail dog of H’Mong costs from 500,000 VND to 2,000,000 VND.
Above are the four typical national dog breeds in Vietnam, known for intelligence and royal qualities. They can become wonderful companions for pet lovers. Hopefully, you are one, too.
At the present, finding extremely original Vietnamese dogs are rare because they have mixed together. In spite of that, the highlight characters and appearance of each dog type can show, which helps you find out which breed a dog belong to.
You may choose one of them to train to become a friendly friend in your house, sharing your feelings and protecting you and the members of your family.