The first buffalo fighting festival in Hanoi

On February 23, thousands of people flocked to the Phuc Tho district stadium to watch the first ever buffalo fighting competition in Hanoi.However, after watching the event, many people wondered whether such an event should be maintained in the modern time?

Thousands of people watch the competition in rain.   The dragon dance opens the event.   The buffalos - the festival's main character - appear in the audience cheering.   The competition attracts 32 buffalos. They were divided into 16 pairs for the qualifying round on February 22. Eight pairs were chosen for the finals on February 23.   To ensure the safety of the audience, the organizers set a steel fence.   A pair of buffalo after the fight.     A winning buffalo leaves the “mat” with the audience cheering.   The organizers prepare an excavator to move dead buffalo out of the playground.   A man is disappointed when the buffalo of his home team lost in the fight.   The fiercest fight is the one between the buffalo of Mr. Hoang Van Toan from Do Son town, Hai Phong city and the buffalo of a company from Phuc Tho district, Hanoi. The buffalo from Hai Phong was killed immediately in the first second of the fight, after being butted but its rival.   Tens of thousands of spectators were surprised.   The dead buffalo was pulled out by 20 people.   The champion is the buffalo of Mr. Trinh Quang Tuyen, from Sen Chieu Commune, Phuc Tho District. The owner of the champion receives three taels of gold and the owner of the runner-up buffalo gets two taels of gold.