Open-air karaoke on the sidewalk tortures Hanoians

Not only encroaching on the sidewalk to sell drinks, many drink shop owners in Phu Do ward, My Dinh (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi) also turn on large-capacity speakers to serve customers singing karaoke.

For many years now, around My Dinh Stadium, there have been many sidewalk stalls selling iced tea, sugarcane juice, etc., along with free karaoke services to attract customers. There are no soundproof walls or modern equipment, but they always attract a large number of customers to sit and drink water and sing.

Noise pollution becomes terrible when people suddenly become "singers", their screams drowning out the singing.

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On a 100 meter stretch of sidewalk on Le Quang Dao Street, in the area of ​​Phu Do and My Dinh wards, there are 2 shops with loud speakers. As soon as one side turns up the music at full volume, the other sides will rush in, determined not to be outdone.

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“People who sit and sing feel very comfortable, but passersby do not. Not to mention that people walking on the sidewalk when passing by these speakers will feel their hearts vibrate strongly, beating quickly to the beat of the drums in the song being played on the speakers, a very uncomfortable feeling,” said Ms. Ta Thanh Huong, a resident of Phu Do village.

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Customers who come to sing only need to spend 20.000 VND/cup of water, a plate of sunflower seeds or fruit, totaling less than 50.000 VND/person, and they can sing to their heart’s content. From 19pm, these drink shops start operating until there are no more customers left to sing.

The strange thing reporters noted at these sidewalk karaoke spots was that there was no sign of authorities.

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The vendor used a small generator to power the sidewalk lights and a large speaker system, amplifier and 300-inch projector to act as a display screen.

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The later it gets, the quieter the streets become, a true torture to the heart and eardrums. This type of business is challenging the compassion of the people from the neighborhood to the apartment building. But strangely, the functional forces and local authorities remain silent.