Karaoke bars and night clubs will have to close before 2 am and placed at least 200 metres away from schools and some government agencies according to a draft decree by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

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The Government Office is gathering opinions from state agencies for the decree which states that karaoke bars and dance clubs must be at least 200 metres away from schools, hospitals, religious establishments, historical sites and state offices.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the regulations were set because karaoke bars or night clubs are considered sensitive businesses whose customers are mostly young people and consume alcoholic drinks.

Karaoke rooms must not have their doors locked and can only use songs included in the approved list. Karaoke bars owners must have a certificate signed by the city or provincial departments of culture, sports and tourism. Night club owners must have business licenses for opening night clubs besides the establishment license.

The owners are required to notify the authorities 15 days in advance if they want to relocate the establishments or add more karaoke rooms.

Vietnam has about 17,321 registered karaoke bars and 77 night clubs.

Nguoi Lao Dong/Dtinews