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For Phung Thi Phuong, taking care of a dog was never going to be complicated. It just meant doing a few things, every year, without skipping them.
Ms Phuong, born in 1967, is the head of her residential group, helping coordinate everyday matters among the households in her neighborhood. In January 2019, her family brought home a puppy they named Na. She was an ordinary, cheerful puppy from the start – the kind that chewed on motorbike saddle foam and constantly asked for pets and scratches.
Around two months old, Na had a mild calcium deficiency that left her legs a bit wobbly, so the family took her to the vet and helped get the treatment she needed. Na was back to her usual self within weeks, Ms Phuong told the World Health Organization.
"She is not really a pet to us anymore," Ms Phuong says. "She is a family member."
Na and Ms Phuong at home. Photo: supplied
That view has shaped a simple household routine that has not changed in years. Every year, Na gets her rabies vaccine. It is marked on the family calendar the same way birthdays are.
"It is not something we think about twice," Ms Phuong says. "It is just what you do if you have a dog."
Her habit reflects what Viet Nam's updated laws now ask of every pet owner. Decree No. 204/2026/NĐ-CP on administrative sanctions in the veterinary sector, which took effect on 1 August 2026 requires owners to vaccinate their pets against rabies and to keep them on a leash and muzzled in public so they do not put others at risk.
Rabies remains one of the world's deadliest diseases. Once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal, but it is also entirely preventable through vaccination of pets, responsible ownership, and quick action after any bite or scratch. Viet Nam's National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Rabies 2022–2030 sets a clear goal: zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. Reaching it depends on exactly the kind of everyday habits Ms Phuong's family has practiced for years – pet owners who vaccinate their pets and manage them responsibly, alongside veterinary services, health workers and local authorities all doing their part.
WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt said: "The theme of this year’s World Rabies Day is Stronger Together. Rabies prevention can start with something as simple as a family making sure their dog is vaccinated every year."
"When pet owners, communities, veterinary services and health workers all play their part, these everyday actions add up to stronger protection for people and animals – and bring Viet Nam closer to its goal of zero human rabies deaths caused by dogs by 2030."
Na, healthy and happy at home. Photo: supplied
As the head of her residential group, Ms Phuong feels the need to be a role model. "If people are going to look to me as an example, I want to be a good one. Honestly, it is not hard. Na is family, so of course we look after her properly. And we make sure that she is not a worry to anyone else."
These days, Na spends her time exactly where she likes it best – pottering around the house and yard, eagerly greeting the family at the door, and generally acting like the contented dog she has always been.