Mê Thú Cưng - Pet Magazine for Vietnam Số 2 | Issue Two | Page 11

Mê Thú Cưng

Pet Care Industry in Vietnam 08 13

Pet Industry in Vietnam > Latest News and Views
Creative & passionate entrepreneurs required to build a service industry
for pet owners in Vietnam!
The respected economist Mr. Kenichi
Oho has studied the economy of Vietnam
for many years and advises that it
would beneficial if Vietnam focus on
developing their services industries to
help the country move away from being
a middle-income country (Annual per
capita income of $4000 to $6000 US to
high-income economy) and reach a
high-income country status. Mr. Oho
uses a few examples by highlighting the
further development of the Travel, Food
& Cuisine service industries in Vietnam.
By designating Vietnam as a world class
destination for travel adventure and beach
resorts highlighting Vietnamese food
and cuisine would satisfy the demand of
global interests in Vietnamese traditional
cuisine worldwide
Me Thu Cung would like to add to Mr. Oho’s
list of service industries to develop: the
growth of a vibrant Pet Industry Service
sector in Vietnam.
Pet Industry service sectors in major
countries generate billions of dollars
and thousands of jobs; satisfying jobs
for people who are passionate of pets.
PetSmart USA, the biggest pet retail
company in the world generates a large
proportion of their revenue not from
the sales of pet products, but from pet
services like dog & cat grooming, pet
sitting & boarding and Pet Care education
services.
So, what needs to be done to develop a
Pet Service industry for Vietnam?

We can begin with the Grooming & Spa
services of dogs and cats. It would be
easy for the many people employed in the
Beauty & Nail industry in Vietnam to adapt
their training and skills to dogs and cats.
Many with a passion and sensitivity for
pets are beginning to create new services
to meet a growing demand for pet owners.
Development of Pet Hotels that include
pet-sitting and boarding services,
especially around the long TET holiday
period, are in demand by both Vietnamese
and Expat pet owners. Most pet owners
are very uneasy about leaving their pets
with people who might not give them
the best pet care while away. The need
for professional day care and pet sitting
workers is great and for a person with the
right management skills and passion for
pets could create a rewarding business
and careers for others.
An then there are the creative industries;
writers, photographers, illustrators and
videographers that can employ their
artistic skills in creating content, using
various media, for advertising agencies
and pet media like this publication.
Creative people who are storytellers and
can capture the touching moments of pet
owners and their pets will always be in
demand.
Pet Care Centres can be created out of
exiting pet shops where the owners can
extend their services to teach pet owners
about taking care of their pets and offer
courses in Basic Pet Care for Dogs and

Cats, Diet & Nutrition and Grooming &
Hygiene. The centres could also offer
seminars and courses to teach other
pet owners how to run a profitable pet
business.
Me Thu Cung would really like to
encourage more younger people to
be given the opportunity to become
Veterinarians. In the past this career was
not taken seriously in Vietnam but now the
status of Veterinarians are finding respect
and admiration. Besides, there is a critical
shortage of qualified Veterinarians to take
care of the growing pet ownership in
Vietnam.
And finally, the need for event
management companies to produce
pet industry related public events like
national dog shows, urban dog fairs, local
‘off-line’ dog gatherings, pet industry
trade shows, and special celebrity pet
events. International pet products
companies would be very interested in
corporate sponsorship of such events,
raising the profile of Vietnam as a place
for good pet business. And, It would only
take the appearance of a pet celebrity
like Cesar Milan (‘Dog Whisper’),
or other international renowned pet
celebrities, to generate the PR to promote
Vietnam as a pet friendly country.
We firmly believe at Me Thu Cung that
the possibilities and opportunities in a
vibrant and growing Pet Service Industry
in Vietnam in generating careers and
businesses would be substantial.

List of 10 Pet Service Industry Careers for Vietnam
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Veterinarians
Pet Retail & Distribution
Dog Trainers
Dog and Cat Groomers
Creative Industry Careers
Pet Sitting & Boarding
Pet Care Consultants
Animal Rescue Workers
Dog and Cat Breeders
Pet Industry Event Promoters

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Issue 02 | March + April 2014 | petmagazine.vn

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