Vietnam’s Karaoke Wars Are Forcing a Reckoning Over Urban Noise
Strict decibel limits in Ho Chi Minh City show how rising affluence is reshaping expectations of comfort and coexistence.
The vibrant, neon-lit streets of Ho Chi Minh City draw tourists and locals into a nightly carnival of sound.
Photographer: Wilfried Strang/Alamy
The karaoke assault starts just after dinner. Off-key singing, beer-fueled chants and rumbling bass from cafes 10 floors below reverberate through Trinh Hung Son’s high-end condominium in Ho Chi Minh City, sometimes lasting until 3 a.m.
“My job is already very stressful,” says Son, a 51-year-old construction company executive, with a sense of helplessness. “All I want when I get home is a quiet place to rest and unwind. But instead, there is such loud noise.”