HÀ NỘI — The People’s Committee of Lý Thái Tổ Ward has sent a document to the Hoàn Kiếm District’s authority calling on bars to not stay open until 2am.

It claims the lives of residents in the area are being seriously disrupted by the late-night activities associated with drinking establishments.

They fear that bars staying open so late could lead to drunken behaviour, public disorder, drug use and other crimes.

The proposal of chairman of People’s Committee of Lý Thái Tổ Ward Nguyễn Trung Thủy came after households living near a bar on Hàng Tre Street sent a letter complaining that the bar operating overnight, seriously affecting the lives of local residents.

Since September 2016, the Hà Nội People’s Committee agreed to allow restaurants, bars and entertainment centres in the Old Quarter to stay open until 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on a pilot basis.

Hoàn Kiếm District, particularly the Old Quarter, attracted a lot of foreign tourists. Along with opening of pedestrian streets in the area near Hoàn Kiếm (Returned Sword) Lake, the lifting of midnight curfew has helped making capital tourism more attractive with services and entertainment at night.

The move was applauded by travel companies who had for long complained that there were no entertainment activities for tourists after midnight, which made their stay in Hà Nội less interesting and therefore, short.

A representative of Hoàn Kiếm District People’s Committee told Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that allowing businesses to stay open until 2am has contributed to the development of tourism. Specifically, the average monthly turnover of registered businesses (allowed to operate until 2am) last year rose 55 per cent compared with 2016’s figure, the representative said. It was expected that this year’s turnover for these businesses would be 30 per cent increase over the previous year.

However, shortcomings have been revealed after two years implementing the pilot project. Before then, bars and restaurants were required to close at 12.00pm

Many establishments do not strictly follow their business in accordance with their licences. Some businesses even sell “funky balls”, shisha and doing businesses over 2am.

An old woman residing on Mã Mây Street who wanted to be anonymous told online newspaper Vietnamplus she once received treatment at hospitals for headaches as she couldn’t sleep at night due to loud music from a near-by bar.

The district’s authority recently decided to review the conditions of registered businesses which operate until 2am. Accordingly, four businesses have been suspended from operation because they couldn’t meet the fire safety and security requirement. — VNS