Music in the air as Hanoi karaoke parlors get spruced up

By Tung Dinh April 8, 2022 | 06:00 am PT

Employers and employees worked enthusiastically to clean up karaoke parlors that had gathered dust during the prolonged shutdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Employees of a karaoke parlor on Tran Thai Tong Street in Cau Giay District spent Thursday cleaning up the premise and fixing all broken equipment after nearly a year of closure.Earlier this week, Hanoi officials allowed karaoke, massage parlors, bars and internet cafes to reopen starting this Friday after a year of Covid outbreak-related restrictions.

After nearly a year of closure, employees of a karaoke parlor on Tran Thai Tong Street in Cau Giay District worked hard Thursday cleaning up the premises and fixing all broken equipment.
Hanoi had ordered all bars, karaoke parlors, discotheques and game rooms to close from midnight April 30 last year, after the fourth Covid wave struck Vietnam.

The venue has eight floors and eight karaoke rooms, with many covered in dust due to the long closure period.

Hanoi officials said Wednesday that karaoke, massage parlors, bars and internet cafes can reopen starting Friday.
All 15 karaoke rooms of the eight-story building were covered in dust when employees headed back to work.

Workers sweep floors and sanitize the floors and interiors.

Floors had to be swept and mopped and interiors sanitized to make the parlor presentable for guests.

Pham Thi Thoa said she and other employees started cleaning up at 2 p.m. and would complete everything by midnight.

PPham Thi Thoa said she and other employees started cleaning up at 2 p.m. and were done by midnight.

Quoc Cuong (M) said he has to switch to being a delivery worker to make a living during the time karaoke parlors remained shut and is glad that he can resume working the job that he loves.I hope we wont have to be shut down again if there is another Covid wave erupts.

Quoc Cuong said he had to switch to being a delivery worker to make a living during the time karaoke parlors remained shut and was glad that he could resume doing something he loves. "I hope we won't have to shut down again if another Covid wave erupts."

To Duong, one of the employees, tests the sounds systems and other devices Friday morning. Many of devices were broken because they have not been used for a while, requiring to us to spend heavy sums to get them fixed or replaced. I still have to pay venue rental and pay some staff living on-site to keep watch of the property. I am worried that business will be slow right after reopening to cover overhead expenses or generate profits,

To Duong, owner of the karaoke parlor, tested the sound systems and other devices Friday morning.
"Many devices have broken down after not being used for an extended period. So, I have had to spend a lot of money to get them fixed or replaced."

I still have to pay monthly venue rental in full and some staff living on-site to keep watch of the property. I am concerned that business will still slow right after reopening and not making enough to earn profits or cover overhead expenses, he added.

"I still have to pay monthly venue rent in full and some staff living on the site to keep watch over the property. I am concerned that business will be slow right after reopening and that I will not make enough to cover overheads," he added.

A man checks and fixes broken electric wires.

A man checks and fixes the wiring in a parlor getting ready to reopen.

Tran Quoc Trung, manager of the karaoke parlor, said he and staff were happy and excited when hearing the city lifted the restrictions. However, he is concerned about not having enough staff and not many customers on the first days of reopening.

Tran Quoc Trung, manager of the karaoke parlor, said he and other staff were happy and excited on hearing that the city had lifted restrictions. However, he remained concerned about not having enough staff and customers.

Some karaoke parlors dont plan to reopen right away and continue keeping their doors shut.The city has crossed its Covid-19 peak, officials said Wednesday, noting also that the ratio of people being vaccinated has increased. The number of new Covid-19 cases in the capital has dropped from the record 32,000 on March 11 to over 4,000 now.

Some karaoke parlors don't plan to reopen right away and remain shut.
The latest decision means Hanoi will no longer impose any Covid-19 restriction and is ending various levels of social distancing imposed over the last two years.
The city 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.