WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE

A photo purportedly showing a Vietnamese girl in tears beside her pet dog, which had been slaughtered, roasted and put out for sale at a street-food stall, has gone viral on social media and raised ethical questions about the trade in dog-meat.

The People's Daily, a Chinese newspaper, reported on Saturday that the little girl's dog had wandered off a few days earlier, and when she stumbled across the pet at a local dog-meat stand, cries of "That's Flower!" could be heard.

The newspaper said Taiwanese ETTV Television Network had reported that the photo was taken in the countryside in north Vietnam, but the time, exact place and girl's identity could not be confirmed.

The photo, showing the distraught girl crouching down with one hand on the deceased dog's back, has captured the hearts of people around the world.