I battle with my neighbors' cacophony from dawn to late night

December 23, 2023 | 03:46 pm PT
Readers share their vexation with a ubiquitous bad habit some Vietnamese have: causing a din.

"My neighbor loves doing exercise and she turns on music at 5 a.m. at her front door every day to exercise, waking up the whole neighborhood. Adding to the noise are old women who wake up early and gather to talk to each other from 5:30 a.m., also very loudly, on the sidewalk near people's doors. Another neighbor sings karaoke every night because she studies arts and entertainment in college."
Linh Lan

"I am really scared of noise. In the west, most people talk at a volume audible only to the person they are talking to. But in Vietnam, a conservation between two people can be heard by the whole bus. In Australia, anyone who makes excessive noise is fined. Excessive noise is banned between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends. I think doing exercises with loud music from 5 a.m. is very selfish."
Dong Van

"I recently went to a performance at my daughter's school in Germany. The program drew more than 300 students and parents, and, while waiting for the show to begin, they chatted with each other for around an hour but in low voices that did not bother others. When I was a teacher in HCMC, at a meeting with around 40 parents, I had to remind them twice to be quiet."
Nguoixala

"Vietnam needs to provide serious education on respecting others’ privacy. Now many people tend to think that they are okay with their noise and so other people might feel okay with it too."
Thaonh

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