It is inconvenient for tourists that discotheques and karaoke bars are not allowed to stay open after 12 at night.

According to the ministry, the regulations on cultural activities and public cultural services and the decree 11/2006/NĐ-CP, which were issued in 2006, helped “prevent and roll back the use of ecstasy and many social evils in cultural activities and public cultural services”.

However, some contents in the above documents are no longer appropriate, the ministry commented.

As some cultural scandals have occurred at some organisations, the draft regulations have a new article: “The heads of state agencies, people’s armed units, economic organisations, political organisations, social-political-occupational organisations, social-occupational organisations are responsible to the laws about cultural activities and cultural services under their management”.

The ministry said that it is inconvenient for tourists that discotheques and karaoke bars are not allowed to stay open after 12 at night. The new rules permit karaoke bars and discotheques of five-star hotels in Hanoi and HCM City and of four-star hotels in other provinces to open until 2 in the morning. Dancing, erotic acts, prostitution, and drug us are banned at karaoke bars.

Notably, karaoke bars in the countryside or unpopulated areas don’t have to obey the rules on noise.

Another new point in the draft decree is: discotheques and karaoke bars which are from 100-200m from schools, hospitals, religious centres, historical-cultural relics, and state administrative agencies and were granted business licences before Decree 11/2006/NĐ-CP took effect and met other requirements of the new regulations will be permitted to run until 2020.

On May 25, 2005, the government issued an instruction asking competent agencies to temporarily stop granting business registration certificates to bars, karaoke bars, and discotheques throughout the country.

The draft regulations permit provinces and cities that have plans for karaoke bars and discotheques to continue granting business registration certificates and licences under their approved plans.

So far, 48 out of 63 provinces and cities have approved development plans for karaoke bars and discotheques.

The new decree will take effect on September 1, 2009. The draft decree has been sent to local authorities, ministries and posted on the website of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the online version of the Culture Newspaper for comment until April 30, 2009.

VietNamNet/TP