Posted: July 13th, 2010 - 4:13am by Doug Powell

Continuing on with the cultural preferences for various protein sources, Vietnam closed around 60 dog meat restaurants and slaughterhouses in outlying parts of Hanoi after cholera bacteria were found in two of the animals.

Le Anh Tuan, director of the Hanoi health department, said businesses will be allowed to reopen in two weeks provided they are cholera-free and the owners can show their meat comes from hygienic sources.

Dog meat is a delicacy for many Vietnamese, who believe eating it in the second half of the lunar calendar month helps dispel bad luck.