The Ba Xuyen breed is a composite of the Berkshire, imported from 1932-1958, and the Bo Xu that is itself a composite of the Craonnais, imported around 1920 by French planters, and Chinese pigs imported around 1900 by Chinese traders. Ba Xuyen are well adapted to the salt-water environment of the Mekong River delta in southern Vietnam. Ba Xuyen are black and white spotted pigs with white feet, short bodies, and very short legs. They grow to roughly 100kg at maturity, taking between eight and ten months to do so. Both males and females grow to maturity in this time, with sows able to birth litters of eight piglets up to three times a year.

Due to their suitability for the region, and the fact that they are widely held to be a exceptionally clever breed, the Ba Xuyen has been widely domesticated throughout South-East Asia. The Ba Xuyen is widely held to be a fastidiously clean, and better-protected from disease than some other breeds. This is due to their teeth, which are coated in enamel, much like human teeth, affording them better protection from oral infection than other breeds. Though they do carry diseases which can be passed on to humans in the wild, domesticated Ba Xuyen are very resilient to illnesses common in other breeds.

Ba Xuyen have a very strong sense of smell, which they use to root out food in the marshy terrain of the Mekong Delta. They are omnivorous, and will eat almost anything placed in front of them. They are used as waste disposal tools as well as pets in many of the areas they are kept domestically. Despite being so easily domesticated, Ba Xuyen are also bred for their meat throughout the region, though as a breed they are not intensively farmed, due to their comparatively small litters, and the length of time it takes them to mature. Domestic pigs being rare in the West, Ba Xuyen haven't really been bred or kept in Europe, though they are a widespread, popular pet throughout South-East Asia, particularly Vietnam.

Photo courtesy of Livestock of the World.