The melody of ‘Sad Tango’ by Luong Gia Huy resounded in the living room of Thien Thao’s family in Go Vap District, HCM City. The high-quality sound made people think it was coming from a real karaoke parlour.

At 11am, family members gathered around and enjoyed the feeling which they had not experienced for a long time.

Thao said she likes singing and enjoys the atmosphere at karaoke bars when she sings with friends and relatives. She decided to rent a set of karaoke equipment to sing songs in her home.

“The service is good as it satisfies personal demands, and we still observe the 5k principle,” she said.

Nguyen Que Son, a representative of ICool karaoke bar chain, the service provider, said the rental is VND2.9 million for three days, VND5 million for 7 days and VND12 million for one month. Clients are required to pay a deposit if the equipment breaks down because of the clients’ fault.

To maintain income for workers during the pandemic, the chain is now supplying household-use electrical appliance, furnishings and air-conditioner repair services.

“In a difficult period, we have to do everything we can to earn our living, from selling take-away food, bun thit nuong (rice noodles with barbecue), repairing household-use electrical appliances to installing karaoke equipment,” he said.

“However, we still hope that karaoke services are allowed to reopen so the company can earn money to cover our expenses and maintain jobs for workers,” he said.

Within the first 24 hours after opening the karaoke equipment rental, five clients contacted them. Son said the company plans to continue providing rental service when karaoke parlours reopen.

He denied that noise may bother neighboring families, saying that clients could ask technical officers to apply temporary soundproofing solutions to minimize noise.

Service users said the sound quality in families’ living rooms cannot be as good as professional parlours. However, they are satisfied if the sound quality is equal to 60 percent.

ICool sent a petition to HCM City Mayor and leaders of agencies, asking to allow karaoke parlours to resume operation from October 31.

On October 15, municipal authorities issued Decision 3583, stipulating the criteria that karaoke parlours, discotheque halls and bars must satisfy when the city allows them to reopen. 

Tran Chung 

Karaoke parlors, cinemas fear bankruptcy

After a long period of closure, karaoke bars and cinemas are facing hard times. The future of entertainment services is unclear.

Hanoi, HCM City to loosen social distancing, prepare for reopening

Hanoi leaders have mentioned the possibility of loosening social distancing from September 15 if the spread of the coronavirus can be curbed. HCM City is also considering loosening social distancing regulations two weeks after September 15.