Vietnam bride gifted lavish dowry of 100 civet cats worth US$70,000 to generate future income

The Star

13 hours ago

BEIJING (SCMP): A Vietnamese woman who received a lavish dowry from her parents of 100 civet cats, gold bars, cash, company shares and several high-value properties has shocked social media.
The unidentified 22-year-old comes from southwestern Vietnam and was married last May.
As part of her dowry, her parents gave her 100 female civet cats, all capable of breeding, with an estimated total value of 1.8 billion Vietnamese dong (US$70,000).
It also included 25 taels of gold, 500 million dong (US$20,000) in cash, company shares worth 300 million dong, seven properties and other valuable assets.
In return, the groom's family offered a bride price of 10 taels of gold, 200 million dong in cash and diamond jewellery.
Dowries remain an important tradition in many Asian countries, symbolising family wealth and the parents' commitment to supporting their daughter's new life.
The bride's father, Hong Chi Tam, said that all his children have taken over the family business after graduating from university, and he wanted his daughter to own assets that could generate income.
He said he would fully support her decision, whether she chose to raise the civet cats or sell them.
'My daughter is a business school graduate. She is fully capable of managing these assets. No matter the method, it ensures her financial independence,' Hong said.
Civet cats are a valuable asset in Vietnam.
A female that has given birth can be worth around 18 million dong (US$700), while a pregnant one can fetch up to 27 million dong.
Their value partly comes from their role in producing Kopi Luwak coffee, which is considered one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
The animals eat ripe coffee cherries, which then pass through their digestive system, producing beans that are collected, cleaned, processed and roasted.
In addition to their role in coffee production, civet meat is also seen as a luxury food in China and Vietnam and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine.
However, according to World Animal Protection International, civet cats are often captured from the wild using harmful methods such as box traps and snares.
To fuel the industry, they are then sold to farms, where they are kept in small cages and fed poorly in stressful conditions, leading to self-harm, injury and an early death.
The story, reported by ETtoday, drew a mixed online reaction.
One online observer said: 'While people in China are still competing over cash dowries, Vietnamese tycoons are already giving away entire industry chains as dowries.'
Another said: 'This is the real way to raise a daughter. Teaching her to fish is better than giving her a fish.'
However, a third said: 'Behind the luxury is animal exploitation. We should reflect on the ethics of using wildlife in business and marriage transactions.' - South China Morning Post/ANN