Vietnamese drug addicts kidnapped a mute teenager, bundled him in a sack and sold him to a dog-meat eatery as a stray canine, state media said on Saturday.

The Gia Dinh Xa Hoi (Family and Society) newspaper said the two addicts grabbed the homeless 13-year-old from a busy market in Halong city.

Halong, around 150 km (90 miles) from the capital, Hanoi, attracts hordes of tourists to its spectacular bay and rock formations, a United Nations heritage site.

The kidnappers tied up the boy, bundled him into a sack and sold him to the restaurant for 300,000 dong ($19), the newspaper said.

The restaurateur, shocked to find the boy, fed him and released him.

Police were investigating the case but had made no arrests, said the newspaper, mouthpiece of the state Population, Family and Children Committee.

Dog meat is a delicacy in parts of China and in some other Asian countries such as Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia and Laos. In Vietnam, eating specifically farmed breeds is believed to bring health benefits and is seen as auspicious.

Early in November, Thai police rescued more than 800 dogs from smugglers who were taking the animals to Vietnam to sell for meat. ($1;15,601 dong)

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