This is the Year of the Rat on the Chinese calendar... So naturally, in Vietnam, this means hamsters are popular... No, I don't know why either... But they are...

To make it even more interesting, the BBC (because they are the stylish news outlet of choice) says they are popular because of "a combination of factors including growing incomes"... So apparently all there are lots of middle to lower class kids who have a hamster as a goal when they really make it in the world...

And then it gets weird...

Because apparently there is this whole black market on hamsters and the Vietnamese government is cracking down on illegal imports of the creatures... In fact, it is now illegal to own one... So illegal, they are fining people 30 million dong (about $1,900 US) - equivalent to 2 years salary for the average person...

All of which raises the question: If its the year of the rat, wouldn't a rat be more appropriate, cheaper and less likely to put you in jail?