Dozens of buffaloes that competed in the Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival in the northern province of Vinh Phuc have been slaughtered and the meat sold at high prices.

Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival 

On February 23, thousands of people flocked to Hai Luu Commune to see Vietnam’s oldest Buffalo Fighting Festival.

Buffaloes which lost at the qualifying round were slaughtered with the meat sold at VND800,000 a kilo compared to the regular price of VND300,000.

Nguyen Van Trinh, a local resident, said that after losing in a qualifying round, his buffalo was killed with 300 kilos of meat sold in just three hours for between VND600,000-800,000 a kilo.

Visitors queuing to buy buffalo meat

Festival-goer Nguyen Duc Long, said “Over the past five years, I often buy buffalo at the festival at a VND800,000 a kilo.”

The winning buffalo aren’t any luckier with all 32 competing buffaloes slaughtered.