HCMC restaurants fined for noise pollution

The three restaurants on Pham Van Dong Street, namely Cali Beer, Havana and Xing Fu, played excessively loud music Sunday night to attract patrons. As such, authorities have fined them between VND100,000 and 300,000 for causing noise pollution and neighborhood disruption after 10 p.m., Dinh Khac Huy, chairman of Binh Thanh District People’s Committee, said Monday.

Huy said Binh Thanh authorities would continue punishing those who violate noise pollution standards across 20 wards until the end of March. National environmental standards allow a maximum noise threshold in normal areas like apartments, houses, offices and hotels of 70 dBA from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and 55 dBA from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day.

Noise pollution has been a long-standing issue in the southern metropolis. Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said he has received frequent complaints about noise pollution from karaoke services, especially after 10 p.m.

As such, the committee has requested the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment to tackle noise pollution in the city, and that the proposal be sent to Phong within this month.