Calling police to stop loud music???

The topic has already been discussed several times here in the forum.
The result: Moving. Rent a detached house.

We moved twice already for noise.
Now we live in a high-rise and it's worse than in the other 2 places (especially barking dogs).
It's no use talking to the neighbors. The reason for this is:

1)
The Vietnamese (and other Asians) are not aware that they are noisy.
If you already have been to parties, weddings, restaurants, karaoke bars (or walked past certain shops), you were blasted with loud music over 100dB and therefore you'll understand that the Vietnamese have a different sense of noise.
While you're worried about your hearing, the Vietnamese are having fun and communicating by shouting at each other.

2)
The vietnamese don't give a shit what happens outside their four walls (and the other road users  ).
The word "mutual consideration" does not exist in Vietnam.
You can talk to people, they'll simply pay lip service.
The high-rise in which we live is constructed in such a way that 2 apartments are directly opposite (balconies approx. 5m distance). About 8 people, 2 dogs and a cat live in this apartment. The balcony door is always open (disassembled) as they have no air conditioners. So you are exposed to all the noise (barking dogs, loud discussions when men have drunk too much beer, karaoke, etc.) unfiltered.
We told the neighbours themselves and the people in the high-rise administration that if they don't have the dogs under control, they should at least close the balcony door. Nothing's happened so far.


In my experience, it's no use calling the police.
The police are not interested in "additional" work.

Apparently there is a night rest regulation from 10pm to 7 am.
The private ones usually stick to it (except of course the dogs  ). But if you have a bar nearby (or a new bar is opened) or a new house is built (or an old house is revamped) then you are simply unlucky.
In my experience, the night's rest is also partly maintained by bars. However, more in districts like D2 and not in districts like D1.
It is also good that the Vietnamese generally go to bed early (except of course the dogs  ) and so it gets calmer after 10-11pm.


But your case seems to be particularly bad. Nobody seems to follow any rules.
And I can understand it, since we in D1 also got bothered by the bum bum bass boosted sound of a bar in the area (basses go through all the walls).

Can't you join forces with other neighbors and speak with one voice to the administration? Or are you the only one who is bothered by noise?
I think it's nerve-sparing to look for a new place to stay. But you'll really have a one-year contract, so you'll have to hold out for a few more months.


Good luck and keep your nerve.

Thanks for the response.  I was thinking to take it to social media.  The developer has a facebook page.  I figured some negative publicity might prompt them to do something. 

We still don't have enough residents in the building.  It's a brand new and probably only at 25% occupancy.  Once the other units start filling up I'd think more neighbors will complain and get involved. 

But ultimately, I think moving is going to be the answer.  Will be moving out of the country hopefully soon.  I think I've had enough...

Earplugs are the answer.

Nothing will be done unless you know someone who is connected. We had a woman near our house that sang very badly at full volume till the early hours. My ex-landlady was in the Peoples Committee, she got them to reduce the volume after 10pm, which they did.

I have never lived in an apartment for this very reason. The locals don't give a damn about the other people in the building.

Contact your landlord and demand a refund or break the lease and get them to contact the police on your behalf. You should not put up with this kind of nonsense.

lawrence1979 wrote:

But ultimately, I think moving is going to be the answer.  Will be moving out of the country hopefully soon.  I think I've had enough...

Could not you try to relocate to a small city before resorting to such an extreme move? There's some smaller cities where you can rent an actual house for USD$300 a month. You're already in Vietnam, don't give up yet!

Yes, you can call the police and they can usually get results. I have had to do it twice and it worked. Not to say it will work with you. But you must be careful when dealing with the police. There are men in black that take care of folks quite quickly. VNese have two faces and are hard to figure out at times. If the dance club is paying off the police don't get involved would be my suggestion. They value the extra coffee money.

glue the door lock whilst they r in or out

MasterofDisaster wrote:

glue the door lock whilst they r in or out

I like this guy.......

Those little pointy tubes of Supa Glu can also be used to squirt a few drops into motorbike ignition key holes.     Also....have ya seen what happens if you squirt some across the seat.....it eventually cracks.

When Yogi was having issues back in Australia with noisy party animals ,, sabotage on their power meter box usually kept them quiet for a while.

PAW 🐾 Note.
Yogi would like to advise that the above actions only be undertaken under suitable conditions by qualified persons against F...tards that piss you off .  Yogi will accept no responsibility for any damage or liability incurred.

I had some really duff neighbours who played very loud music but they hadn't realised I ran a PA hire company with enough kit to literally fill a football stadium.
One morning after a sleepless night of partying they've gone to bed, but  500x500 watt rms amp does wonders for a portable cd player once the very large loudspeaker is on the end.
The menace of an earthquake generating speaker in question was a ruddy great big thing designed for stuffing  on a concert stage, and generated enough ear shattering sonic flatulence to make dead people in Australia bang on their coffins and tell me to shut up.
The rest of the neighbours were out but they were out of their minds, banging on my door and threatening to call the cops.
The boys in blue were understanding to the point of laughing.

True story.

As a strange note (as I live a strange life), the woman was the girl that had complained my favourite primary teacher was a nonce, touching up grade 4 girls in his class. Frankly, I don't believe a word the mad beach said but the teacher lost his career over it anyway.
Some people are just nasty.

To Andy Passenger, in reply to his message:

Absolutely true. Everything you said is exactly what we are also experiencing and we have to deal with it.
Thanks for your message which I believe provides a very objective and realistic point of view.
In spite of all this, HCMC and Vietnam in general remain a very nice city/country to live and work in.
Bye

I think it depends on the neighbourhood, but I would definitely try calling the police. I thew a small house party and the police came around 10:30pm because of noise complaints and shut it down.

One more reason I'm leaning toward living in a hotel. I'll never be obligated for more than a month at a time. If management is unresponsive to my concerns, I'll always have options for relocating the next month. Of course, being a single man, I don't have the responsibility of providing a stable home life for a family. Yes, it will cost more, but not so much more that my monthly retirement budget can't handle it. Cheers!

Some people do not care about the neighbors. That is big problem in living a congested city like Saigon .
I will rather to live in country side.

If you are Vietnamese yes. Others no.
If the people playing the music are Viet or drug dealers, they probably give money to security. Maybe even the building manager...sorry but you are probably SOL.

mitsmaak wrote:

If you are Vietnamese yes. Others no.
If the people playing the music are Viet or drug dealers, they probably give money to security. Maybe even the building manager...sorry but you are probably SOL.

What is SOL?

Sh1t out of luck

Sorry, I had not been on here in a while and just read the other posts. Please don't try revenge tactics. It sounds like you don't know what sort they might be. One friend was nearly killed by a guy with a knife. Viets that are involved in illicit activities are wicked w knives. Don't get in over your head

Don't know if it is the same in Sg, but in Hanoi, it depends on your neighborhood. Like my parents are teachers, their house was given to them some 30 years ago by the government, most of their neighboors are teachers so it is quite quiet and civilized. There are some who sold their houses to outsiders but they have to be respectful or every others will not even talk to them or sth like that. My friend s family living in ciputra, also very quiet, the price is quite high for average Vietnamese though.

lawrence1979 wrote:

.....
Spoke to head of reception during the daytime...she says call security hotline when it happens....
Sent an email to the building developer's headquarters.... No reply...

take it you are not renting directly from the developer's?. If not, you are best off talking to the landlord/landlady, as he/she may have more clout than the faceless building develeloper's headquarters.

If you are renting from a landlady/landlord they generally want to keep you there after your contract runs out, so they have more of an incentive to do something about it.

If it's a big corporation their only incentive to act would be to keep bad publicity at bay (which may well make them do something about it!).

While I haven't read the other threads about noise, I am aware of some law as the wailing funeral music etc. does stop at a certain hour.

"Just move" seems harsh. Try to fight this, tooth and nail?

You have the right to "quiet enjoyment" of your condo. This is a business and  there are these odd looking things called headphones...

Perhaps a skilled negotiator can pay the cops to end this at far less than moving would cost?

Good luck, I feel your pain and had terrible neighbors with yapping and barking dogs and also chicken (raised in the inner city, next to a high-rise apartment building. So it's all about saving say 60,000 d per chicken x 10 and a hundred people get bothered)?!?

Seems like many are engaged in Western think in SE Asia. Things do not operate the same and probably never will. There are no zoning laws here and you can open what you want where you. There is an airport near most major cities here. Buy a ticket and leave.

Diazo wrote:

Seems like many are engaged in Western think in SE Asia. Things do not operate the same and probably never will. There are no zoning laws here and you can open what you want where you. There is an airport near most major cities here. Buy a ticket and leave.

There are laws about noise. Many viets hate the noise, they dont complain, should they but a ticket and leave.

The Vietnamese tolerate it mych better than most. They are Vietnamese citizens and have a much different standing here with the Peoples Committee and orhers who can help. We do not. It would be like the Vietnamese coming to America and setting up a karokee joint in a residential area. They could never inagaine such silly people not allowing you to do what you wish with your property. And I wonder hiw well they would do getting the US authorities to accept their ways. Not mych orobably and theh too would have an airpirt nearby to flee the insanity of to many rules and codes.
I am not overly serious about all tge complainers leaving. I too find many frustrations living in a foreign country because they do not live the way I do in my country. Then I reflect on just why I am here..... to get away from the insanity of my country. Yeah. It is a lot different here. And I have had to use earplugs many times. But up to now I still love it here and love the differences.

Diazo wrote:

I am not overly serious about all tge complainers leaving. I too find many frustrations living in a foreign country because they do not live the way I do in my country. Then I reflect on just why I am here...

There are also people who can't just leave.
I have a wife and a family here and I don't want to separate my wife from her roots.
That's why I'm here in Vietnam around HCMC.
If I didn't have any obligations here I wouldn't stay one minute longer in this area.
So I have to come to terms with the adverse conditions, but can also post a critical comment from time to time without being immediately labelled as a nagger.
The solution to the problem is in sight. An own house in the country with windows and doors for 300 million Dong.

It seems that when you make a point about something you're a whinger or complainer.

If you want to hear complaining, sit down next to the bà táms at the end of any hem. Then you will hear the locals having a good old bitch about everyone and everything.

I am not suggesting anyone is a whiner or a complainer. I have made the same observations as many have stayed here. But I think the reality is that it is what it is. This is their way of life. When in Rome do as the Romans do. I know it is not easy at times. We all can and do adapt. The police are not going to offer much solice on a repeated basis I doubt. If your wife or family are ones who participate in the old communist ways of controlling the neighborhood you might have better luck attending the neighborhood snitch parties. That data is handed over to the ward police and the Peoples Committee.  But in the end we all have many options.

It's always good to have robust debate. Things take time to change, look at the ground swell towards cleaning up Viet Nam. Ten years ago there was nothing happening, now you have groups all over VN taking part in weekly cleanups.

As with most things, it will take time, the younger generations in VN are more informed and care more than their parents and grandparents did about the environment and each other.

Very true. This in part is the “ Out of the cave” theory. And all cultures and all societies have have taken the long ardous journey. It takes 100' s of years, not mearly a generation or two. Seems like an easy task. But oh how difficult. In part it starts with quality education. And how can you get quality education with the economics that exist. You gave uneducated professores teaching those seeking an education. Difficult to recruit from outside the country because of the pay. And there ar so so so many obstacles to overcome. I always find it just interesting to contemplate th difficulties. Fun to watch the evolution though.

Sounds as though you found a solution to your troubles. High five! I see a lot of comments here that are a product of naïveté.As one of my Singaporean colleagues put it,”Vietnam is a corruption country.” Everything here revolves around that fact. Thus it's how much money you pay to whom that determines your “rights”. People's committee....LoL!! Technically no one has any rights and that includes peaceful enjoyment and other products of western civilization. Anything here that involves all night parties is known and condoned by the police who make money off of it(also called drugs & prostitution). I wouldn't be slightly surprised to find out that a high ranking police official owns part of the building. I.e. be careful who you poke! Vietnamese are thrilled to call the cops who will happily work out a financial arrangement between you, the complainers & them. And you can do what ever you want after everyone has become “satisfied”. It stands to reason that if no Việt are complaining then they are already aware of someone's arrangement...I am posting this so others that might read this can avoid accidentally poking the wrong cat and  to further understanding of how things actually work here. Some may not like it but I personally prefer the upfront corruption to the hidden kind posing as legitimate governance. Hope it's appreciated.

@mitsmaak
Totally agree. The process here is expediant and at least us foreigners can afford to pay the payola here whereas in our mother country only the mega rich and politicians can. Yeah we have to wear earplugs at times but it is perfect no where.

Agreed, I will add that I will make sure that I know who I am paying and mostly have a Việt “negotiator” take care of that.