As many as 26 karaoke parlours in HCM City have been suspended for violating fire safety regulations following a recent inspection by local police.
A man walks by a karaoke bar in HCM City
HCM City police announced on September 14 that they had conducted inspections on fire safety at 460 karaoke bars and nightclubs in the area.
"We have issued fines of over VND1.2 billion and suspended 26 bars for their violations," the police said. "Some common violations included lack of standard firefighting equipment and safety exits, and operating without local authority fire safety approval."
The inspection came following a series of deadly fires at several karaoke bars with the latest occurring at a bar in Binh Duong Province on September 6, leaving 32 dead.
Police in the capital city of Hanoi earlier also conducted similar inspections on all bars in the city and suspended 326 bars following the tragedy. Inspections found that Hanoi is home to 1,400 karaokes, some 58 percent were found to have violated fire safety requirements.
