Do Son, a popular beachside town three hours east of Hanoi, plays host to an annual Buffalo Fighting Festival every autumn. Water buffalos arrive from all over the mountainous north, where farmers have had them in isolated training for months. The bulls are led into a football stadium and lock horns, the victor eventually chasing the vanquished out of the grounds to thunderous applauds from thousands of spectators, most of whom are betting heavily on the fights. The buffalos - both winners...
more »Do Son, a popular beachside town three hours east of Hanoi, plays host to an annual Buffalo Fighting Festival every autumn. Water buffalos arrive from all over the mountainous north, where farmers have had them in isolated training for months. The bulls are led into a football stadium and lock horns, the victor eventually chasing the vanquished out of the grounds to thunderous applauds from thousands of spectators, most of whom are betting heavily on the fights. The buffalos - both winners and losers - are then slaughtered in the streets outside the stadium, with their prize-fighting meat fetching a tidy sum for their owners. ..An elderly woman dressed in traditional costume awaits the arrival of a buffalo to worship and wish good luck for the next day's fights.
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