A karaoke parlor in Ho Chi Minh City has been caught operating against the local government's ongoing non-essential business ban and allowing its customers to use narcotics.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed on Sunday that police in District 11 raided a venue on Minh Phung Street on Saturday night.

A total of 38 men and women were using the karaoke service inside four rooms, and eight of them tested positive for drugs.

All 38 people were escorted to the police station to facilitate the investigation.

Officers also confiscated an amount of synthetic drugs and other relevant evidence.

There were seven employees at the venue, officers added.

Preliminary investigation showed that the venue disguised itself as a recording studio to illegally operate as a karaoke service.

Customers often came to the location to use marijuana and synthetic drugs and party all night long.

The owner is Ly Vinh Tan, a 37-year-old resident in District 11.

Tan admitted he had been operating the karaoke service since October.

Ho Chi Minh City has been the hardest-hit since the fourth virus wave hit the country on April 27, with nearly 494,700 cases.

Karaoke parlors, along with bars and discos, have been suspended since April 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The municipal authorities resumed these services on November 16 but closed them again on November 18, stating that the activities still posed a high risk of transmission.

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