In Vietnam, it sings
If there is one establishment that one notices on every street corner in Vietnam, it is the ubiquitous karaoke. In Rome, do as the Romans, they say. So I had to go push a few notes in public.
The equivalent of a Red Light District, but for the song!
With a bunch of Vietnamese and international friends, we went to karaoke on a Saturday night.
There must be hundreds of scooters parked in the street in front of the building. Normal, everyone here has theirs from about 18 years old. And even before that, teens are on smaller electric scooters.
In short, we take a small alley and I inquire at the first counter I see.
- Hi, I'm here for the singing.
- Sorry, it's full.
Damn it, Tu, it's full! (You being my tour guide that I had met with my father a few weeks ago. He's now our karaoke guide!)
You tell me not to worry and keep walking. We follow him, and turning the corner of the aisle, we stop dry in amazement.
It feels like Las Vegas, but with just karaoke!
I can hardly believe the majority of them are full. After finding one at the end of the street, we are assigned a room on the 7th floor. Because yes, karaoke in Asia are private parties. The price is ridiculous, and the English selection is not bad. The songs are chosen on an iPad and projected on two screens in the room. And with two microphones, we have everything you need to spend the evening.
And we have so much fun that we will go back two weeks later!
Acoustic cafes
Karaoke is good, but I've never been a huge fan. The sound is always rotten, loud, and one cannot be accompanied by an instrument. So it was rather in acoustic cafes that I spent several evenings!
With two or three musicians on-site performing any special requests, anyone can request to go sing on stage. And believe me, the Vietnamese are not shy. Each evening, almost everyone had their turn to sing. I was no exception to the rule ...!
