Straight from the jungle: the thousand dollar pet that charms Hanoians

Bird enthusiasts in Hanoi have fallen head over heels in love with the long tail parrots, braving everything to own these beautiful creatures. 

Macaw, a South American parrot, is now the brightest spot on Hanoians’ radar screen, with some claiming up to tens of thousands of dollar.

Nguyen Quang Minh, a young bird lover, owns an impressive collection of nearly 20 parrots, including a pair of baby parrots imported from South America (Blue and Gold Macaw) that set him back nearly VND100 million ($5,000) each.

According to Minh, exotic birds are becoming the most sought-after pets in Vietnam. However, the suppliers are all in the south, leaving the north craving for the lovely animals. He also added that there are only about 20 South American parrots in Hanoi.

These thousand dollar parrots reside mostly in tropical South America, attracting humans with their brilliant and vibrant set of feathers.

Together with his South American parrots, Minh also owns a rare white, 5 month old Australian parrot, which costs around $2.000. Unlike its South American long tail cousin, this kind of parrot is completely white with a shorter tail. The only flip side is that the parrot and the trainer have to remain close or else, once the bird grows up, they would become autistic and start picking off their own feathers, a scene that is no different from watching each $1 banknote torn apart before you.

These parrots are very adaptable and able to perform many tricks with their trainers thanks to their much better ability to learn and copy than normal parrots.