At Least 32 Dead After Massive Fire Rips Through Karaoke Bar in Vietnam: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

Firefighters battle a deadly fire at a karaoke bar in Vietnam.Photo: STR/Vietnam News Agency/AFP via Getty

Local authorities say at least 32 people have died after a fire tore through a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam, per multiple reports.

The Cong An Nhan Dan newspaper, which works officially with the Public Security Ministry, said 17 men and 15 women were killed in Tuesday night’s fire near Ho Chi Minh City, according to theBBC.

About 60 people were in the bar when the fire broke out, the outlet reported.

“The fire started on the second floor of the bar and quickly spread to the third floor, which was full of flammable material,” read a statement from the Ministry of Public Security, according toReuters.

Four people were injured when they jumped from the second and third floors to escape the fire, but are expected to survive, the BBC reported, putting the total number of injured at 40.

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State media said the initial cause of the fire is believed to be an electrical short circuit, according to the CBS News and the AFP.

Police said fire prevention regulations had been checked at the facility before Tuesday night’s fire, though it is not clear when that was, the outlets reported.

On Wednesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested additional fire inspections for high-risk venues such as karaoke bars, the BBC reported.

In August, three firefighters were killed while fighting a fire that broke out at a karaoke venue in Hanoi, according to the outlet. Additionally, 13 people were killed in 2016 during a fire at a separate karaoke lounge in the country’s capitol.

This is Vietnam’s deadliest fire since 2018, when 13 people were killed in a fire at an apartment complex in Ho Chi Minh City, per CBS News and the AFP.

source: people.com