When the city is free from the noise of portable loudspeakers.

This New Year's holiday season, many observant people will notice that in large, densely populated cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, there is less noise from portable loudspeakers. The noise is less reverberating from midday until late at night, and there are fewer prolonged celebrations that tire out neighbors, leaving them helpless when they want to rest in their own living space.

Government Decree 282/2025, which stipulates penalties for noisy karaoke gatherings in residential areas and public places, regardless of the time of day or night, is being implemented rigorously. This partly solves a long-standing problem in urban areas: restoring peace and quiet as a legitimate right to live.

There, tranquility is seen as a minimum standard of civilized urban life.

Singing karaoke isn't a crime. Community enjoyment, entertainment, and human connection are always necessary. But when that enjoyment goes beyond what others can tolerate, turning a shared space into a "private stage," it's no longer a hobby or a personal freedom, but rather an imposition.

The reality over the years shows that many urban residents have resigned themselves to living with karaoke – the "portable loudspeaker" – as a matter of choice. This prolonged resignation not only erodes their spiritual well-being but also distorts the concept of shared spaces in urban areas. This resignation has sometimes led to extreme reactions. There have been arguments, fights, and even murders stemming from the noise of these portable loudspeakers. The price paid is too high for what was once a perfectly normal pastime.

Therefore, this tightening of penalties is not only aimed at curbing noise, but more importantly, it is a clear "declaration" about the boundary between the right to enjoy oneself and the obligation to respect one another. A city is only truly livable when one person's happiness is not built at the expense of another's fatigue and frustration, and when tranquility is protected by law, not by mere tolerance.

What is particularly noteworthy about the implementation of Government Decree 282/2025 is not only the level of fines, but also the decisive involvement of law enforcement agencies. Things are starting to fall into place, preventing residents from resorting to passive negotiation and thus avoiding escalating minor conflicts into major clashes.

Of course, karaoke will still exist, but it will show more respect for and give way to privacy in community life. This change is clearly necessary to help re-establish a boundary: the boundary between the individual and the community, between what "I like" and what "others tolerate," between freedom and responsibility.

In urban areas, after the stresses of daily life, the quiet moments at the end of the day or on weekends are opportunities for residents to rest and recharge their energy... Therefore, tightening regulations on noisy karaoke singing in public places is a societal choice to protect the balance between the individual and the community, between private emotions and shared space.

Just a quiet afternoon, a weekend evening not disrupted by the jarring sounds of portable loudspeakers, is enough to make this city breathe a sigh of relief and feel more at ease. Sometimes, that's all it takes for a city to become lovely and livable.

ENGRAVING

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khi-do-thi-bot-tieng-loa-keo-keo-post831876.html