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For asking his neighbors to lower their karaoke volume on the night of June 22, Tran Viet An was assaulted.
A group came over, broke down his front gate, and stormed into his house to threaten him.
A security camera in front of Tran Viet An’s house captured the moment a neighbor forcefully tore down the gate after being asked to lower the karaoke volume, June 22, 2025.
An, 39, who lives in an alley on Phan Dang Giang Street, Binh Hung Hoa Ward, said he was still shaken nearly a week after being threatened by neighbors simply for complaining about loud karaoke.
He said his neighbors frequently held drinking parties and sang karaoke using portable speakers in front of their house, especially on weekends and holidays.
Though he had reported the issue to local authorities several times, they did nothing.
To escape from the noise, he often took his wife and children out of the house.
He said: "One time I was sick and stayed home for two weeks, and they still kept singing non-stop. It was exhausting."
After the incident on June 22, when questioned by the Binh Hung Hoa Ward police, the neighbor admitted he had been drinking and lost his temper. They have arrested him for causing public disorder.
Thuy, who lives in an alley off Dien Bien Phu Street in Thanh My Tay Ward, once considered selling her house to escape the constant karaoke noise next door.
Three years ago, when she was sick and working from home and her daughter was preparing for the high school entrance exams, her neighbors frequently threw parties and blasted karaoke.
She tried keeping her windows and doors shut but to no avail.
When her husband asked them to lower the volume or limit their singing to certain times, they responded by turning the speaker directly toward her house.
When they complained again, the neighbors threw dirty water at their house.
Thuy reported the issue to the ward authorities but was told that the neighbors were singing only during permitted hours.
To escape the noise her family would go to cafés or even stay elsewhere temporarily.
The stress eventually led her to decide to sell the house. But once potential buyers learned about the karaoke problem, they either drove the price down or withdrew entirely.
Eventually, Thuy's family complained to the city police department, and only then did the neighbors agree to lower their volume and limit their singing hours.
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A woman sings karaoke using a mobile speaker placed on her motorbike in front of a street-side eatery on Thanh Da Street of Binh Quoi Ward, HCMC, June 25, 2025 Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van |
Noise pollution is not limited to residential areas. Many now bring portable karaoke speakers to sing in front of pubs to draw crowds, sell snacks or rent out the equipment.
Groups play loud music in parks using high-powered speakers while eating, dancing and disturbing public peace.
Some households also play loud music despite living close to others in residential areas.
Since the beginning of 2024 the city's 1022 hotline has received nearly 21,000 noise-related complaints, most of them about karaoke noise and loud music, especially in densely populated districts.
According to regulations, the maximum allowable noise levels in residential areas (apartment buildings, adjacent or detached houses, hotels, guesthouses, administrative offices) are 70 dBA (6 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and 55 dBA (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
A government decree stipulates fines of VND500,000–1 million for creating loud noises in residential areas between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. besides the seizure of equipment used for making them.
However, Ta Minh Khiem, chairman of Ward 13 in Binh Thanh District, which has now become a part of Binh Loi Trung Ward, said when complaints are received, local authorities could only send the police to issue warnings because they lack equipment to measure sound levels and issue fines.
"To impose fines, we need meters or to hire professionals, but the ward lacks the funds, and the process takes time."
He added that violators often turn off the music or lower the volume when authorities arrive, making it hard for the latter.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, head of the Institute for Social Life Studies, karaoke has become a popular form of entertainment for many Vietnamese.
In the past singing karaoke required bulky equipment, but now an affordable smartphone and a portable speaker are enough to sing anywhere, he pointed out.
"With its low cost and ease of use, mobile karaoke has become increasingly widespread."
But the regulation banning karaoke after 10 p.m. is impractical because it focuses only on time and not the sound itself.
"If someone sings in a soundproofed house, it should not matter even if it's after 10 p.m. But if someone sings outdoors with a powerful speaker, even during the day, it will disturb others."
Authorities should make it mandatory for karaoke to be sung only in enclosed, soundproof places, he said.
In the case of parties and gatherings, prior notification should be given to local residents or authorities to enable supervision.
According to the city Department of Science and Technology's Postal and Telecommunications Office, which manages the 1022 hotline, the city has built a digital map to identify noise "hotspots" and enable better enforcement.
In the near future the 1022 system will explore using AI to analyze complaint content, assess severity and prioritize urgent and repeat cases.
Data from other systems, such as business licenses, urban planning and lists of sensitive locations (schools, hospitals, etc.), will also be integrated to provide a more comprehensive picture of noise sources across the city.
