The ten sows at a pig farm in the southern Vietnamese province of Vinh Long start a new day as early as 4:00 am, when the radio above them is turned on, broadcasting the morning news. The pigs relaxingly wag their tails as the sound of the news radio fills their farm, an apparent sign of their enjoying the treat. The radio is played continually until 10:00 pm, a practice Pham Van Phuong, who raises the ten-pig herd, has followed for more than a decade. “I learned from TV and newspapers that foreign people let their cows listen to music to produce more milk, so I thought it would work with my pigs as well,” Phuong told a morning show by national broadcaster VTV1 on December 8. The idea flashed into his mind more than ten years ago, when his pigs were repeatedly startled by noises and miscarried. “I think the music will keep the pigs comfortable,” he said. With the radio playing for 18 hours a day, Phuong’s pigs will listen to anything the station broadcasts, from news ...