The incident occurred in Tuyen Quang Province when cattle trader Nguyen Thi Ngoc, 34, tried to take a cow and her calf after purchasing them from a local farmer.
Ngoc said that during more than 10 years working in the cattle trade, she had never encountered a situation like this.
Cow refuses to leave its home
After completing the purchase, Ngoc led the cow and calf away. The mother cow had given birth not long before and still looked thin and weak.
After walking only a short distance, the cow suddenly knelt down and refused to move any further, while the calf continued to nuzzle close to its mother, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
“I’m taking you home to raise, not to slaughter,” Ngoc told the cow while trying to reassure it.
Despite her efforts to calm the animal, the cow remained kneeling on the ground. The unusual scene quickly attracted many nearby residents, some suggesting the animal might have sensed danger or felt uneasy leaving the familiar place where it had lived.
Ngoc recorded the moment and shared it on social media simply to keep it as a memory. The video soon went viral, drawing widespread attention and emotional responses from viewers.
Animal rescue group steps in
Less than a day after the clip spread online, an animal rescue group in Hanoi contacted Ngoc and offered to buy the cow and her calf.
Ngoc agreed to sell the pair at a reasonable price.
According to Tran Minh Quang, founder of the rescue group San Nha Nhieu Cho, the emotional moment in the video touched many members of the group, prompting them to pool money to save the animals.
The total cost to purchase the cow and calf and transport them from Tuyen Quang to Hanoi was about VND 25 million (approximately USD 1,000).
The two animals are now being cared for on a spacious garden farm in Doai Phuong Commune on the outskirts of Hanoi. The mother cow was diagnosed with an illness and is receiving treatment, while both animals have begun adapting well to their new environment.