Illustration by Kieu Trinh
It was midnight and 80-year-old Tran Thi Nguyet in Dong Ha City, the central province of Quang Tri, could not sleep.
It wasn't insomnia though, it was the terrible noise from a nearby restaurant that was keeping her up.
As a late-night diner belted out a song, Nguyet felt her blood pressure rising.
Instead of paying at least VND70,000 (US$3) per hour at a karaoke parlour, many people opt to use portable karaoke machines with a microphone and amplifier to sing anywhere, anytime.
These portable speakers were first introduced to the public by candy vendors.
The vendors would roam around streets at night, pulling the suitcase-like speakers and singing moody Bolero songs in front of restaurants and bars in an effort to sell sticks of handmade candy at VND10,000 (US$0.43) each.
The speakers soon became popular as people jumped at the chance for cheap entertainment for themselves and their families.
Now the speakers have invaded not only urban streets at night but also holiday spots and every corner of the countryside.
“I nearly went crazy as my neighbours sang all day long,” Nguyen Thu Thuy, 25, in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung District recalled her experiences staying at home during the social distancing period in early April.
“It was fun at first thinking people were trying to stay positive during the troubling time,” she said. “Yet when the clock hit midnight and my neighbours seemed not to want to end their show, it gradually became torture.”
Tensions over noisy speakers sometimes escalate into fighting and even murder.
On April 14, a man in HCM City’s Binh Chanh District was killed after asking his neighbours to lower the volume.
At 3.30pm, 30-year-old Nguyen Thanh Khoa gathered two friends to drink beer and sing karaoke with portable speakers.
As the noise was too loud to handle, his neighbour, 50-year-old N.V.B asked them to stop. It soon became a quarrel and ended up with Khoa allegedly stabbing B to death. The case has yet to go to trial.
To spare themselves the pain of their neighbours’ broken voices and avoid arguments, many people buy interference equipment which can break Bluetooth connections between portable speakers and TVs or smartphones.
The procurement of these tools, however, has to be approved by the Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Public Security as criminals can use them to disable security equipment.
On July 9, To Thi Bich Chau, head of HCM City Committee of Fatherland Front, asked the city People’s Committee to take serious measures to ban noisy activities in residential areas, mostly due to portable speakers, that have negative impacts on people’s health.
Many are in agreement that something needs to be done, but what exactly the course of action should be is another question.
Huynh Thanh Nhan, director of HCM City Department of Culture and Sports, in an interview with Thanh tra (Inspection) newspaper, said although they received many complaints about noise pollution caused by portable speakers, the department does not have any responsibility to measure noise.
According to Government Decree No.155, the natural resources and environment sector is in charge of handling noise.
Meanwhile, Decree no. 167 allows the city’s police to fine violations regarding noise yet fines are small, ranging from VND100,000 to 500,000 ($4.31 to 21.57).
Overlapping responsibilities in addressing noise pollution creates loopholes for the disease of portable speakers to continue spreading.
Da Nang City in May last year became a role model in dealing with portable speakers by increasing the fine. Colonel Tran Thanh Nhon, head of the Environmental Police Department, said the noisier the activities were, the higher the fines.
The city has shown that it is possible to end noise pollution if there are strong enough mechanisms.
Look at how traffic accidents dropped after the drink-driving law – Decree No 100 – took effect.
Look at how passengers now pay attention to their schedule after HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport turned off loudspeaker announcements.
All we need to fight against portable speakers is determination from the authorities.
And the paean, then, is complete silence. — VNS
The article was originally published on Viet Nam News on July 15, 2020.