Nguyen Hai Dong, a photographer in HCMC, said he began attending online parties a couple of weeks ago.

Ly Na, the owner of a small media firm in Phu Nhuan District, began drinking with friends in June. She has online parties with friends several times a week.

Huu D, who works for a research institute, also has regular meetings after working hours via smartphone with his co-workers with two bottles of beer each time.

“Previously, our group of joggers regularly met on weekends to have glasses of beer. We have been doing physical exercises at home for several months, but cannot meet face to face. As we crave a drink, we decided to have a party online,” he explained.

To organize parties online, each member of the groups prepares bar snacks and drinks. People make video calls via online platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet, drink, eat snacks and gossip.

Dong is a member of three groups, including groups of photographers, joggers and friends in the media industry.

“Talking to each other via mobile devices also eases stress during this difficult period, especially for those who live alone,” Dong said. “We feel more excited when seeing each other on the screens and we restrict sharing negative news."

Ly Na, who lives alone, has been attending online parties since June. At that moment, a group of friends who lost contact for a long time suddenly wanted to talk. So they decided to make video calls.

“We played music and sang cai luong (a form of folk opera) to each other like we did in the past. The only different thing was that we see each other on laptop screens,” Na said.

“The most important thing is that you just need to send an URL to invite your friends to the meeting, no matter where they are in the world. One link can connect the whole world,” Na said.

She cited many advantages of online parties. She doesn’t have to be attentive when driving a car and there is no need to worry about getting drunk.

Meanwhile, Dong said online parties ease stress during the pandemic. He still wants to have ‘real parties’ when he can sit together with friends at restaurants, when the pandemic ends. 

Hai Dang

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