Hanoians flood karaoke parlors on first day of reopening

The bustling atmosphere had returned to Hanoi karaoke parlors with many were operating at full capacity on the first day of reopening.
The city has allowed karaoke, massage parlors, bars and internet cafes to reopen starting Friday after a year of Covid outbreak related restrictions.

To ensure their safety, guests will have to sanitize their hands and have their temperatures screened before entering.
"I'm overjoyed to be able to visit karaoke parlors again. My friends and I came early since we are afraid there may not be enough rooms. We intend to spend more than two hours singing our hearts out," said Linh Chi from Bac Tu Liem District.

Karaoke parlors were packed since early Friday evening with many customers having reserved rooms in advance.
Many arrived in big groups, singing karaoke with their masks on.

Nguyen Ngoc Hien, an IT developer, said he invited five colleagues to a karaoke parlor on Tran Thai Tong Street after work.
"I'm glad that, after such a long time, the brothers in the company can come together to sing like that." 'The entire group has a passion for music, so when they heard that the karaoke service was open, they immediately invited each other to sing,' he explained.

"In the absence of karaoke, the group kept themselves entertained by organizing a League of Legends game tournament in which colleagues competed against each other. People have more ways to have fun now that the karaoke service is available," Hien added.

Visitors to Kevin karaoke bar on Tran Thai Tong Street who arrived early to sing were mostly families, office workers, and groups of friends.
Nguyen Ba Dat, the manager, stated that it was nearly 8 p.m. and that the rooms were nearly full. Guests who did not have a reservation will either have to wait or make an appointment at another facility. He and other staff were happy and excited on hearing that the city had lifted restrictions.
"However, because the number of employees is only about 30 perrcent of what it was before, I need to mobilize more relatives to assist," Dat said.

"Last night, we received dozens of calls from customers looking to book rooms. This is a good sign on the first day of reopening. We expected that the number of visitors will increase over the weekend," said Huong, manager of Summit karaoke on Tran Thai Tong Street.

Quoc Cuong claimed that the karaoke bars he frequented were packed. You must call to make a reservation in order to select the best location.

Tuan Vu, from Cau Giay District, reveals that his group of 15 people spent nearly VND3 million for more than two hours of singing.
"Today has been a lot of fun. We will head to a restaurant to recharge after this," he said.

Customers park their motorbikes in front of a karaoke parlor.

Karaoke establishments in the districts of Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem and Dong Da were also filled.
Hanoi has crossed its Covid-19 peak, officials said Wednesday, noting also that the ratio of vaccinated people had increased. The number of new Covid-19 cases in the capital has dropped from the record 32,000 on March 11 to 2,897 Friday.