In Vietnam, nobody has ever heard of such a thing.įish fighting is old pastime that is mainly practiced by old timers and villagers.

The scenes in the film 'The Deerhunter' which show Vietnamese betting on Russian roulette is a Hollywood fabrication-and in the eyes of many, a racist fabrication. There are shops that specializes in selling tropical fish, including the Siamese fighting fish. Ĭock fighting and fish fighting are popular. Punters are also allowed to have a flutter at a new greyhound stadium in the southern coastal resort of Vung Tau. Vietnamese law only allows limited betting on the state-run lottery and at the old colonial racecourse in Ho Chi Minh City, which was resurrected in the early 1990s. However, it remains tightly restricted, creating a lucrative industry for the country's criminal underworld. In the mid 2000s, Vietnam's soccer betting market alone was estimated to be worth about $1 billion a year.ĪFP reported: 'Gambling is no longer completely outlawed in Vietnam as it was in the 1970s and 1980s when the communist authorities regarded it as an unacceptable capitalist pursuit. Gambling is widespread in Vietnam, despite being banned, and millions of dollars often change hands during football matches.

What are fish game gambling