The Day the Music Died

With apologies to Don McLean and Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, I think it's time we stand up for musical traditions: singing in the shower, whistling while we work, humming absentmindedly and karaoke. That's right...a fundamental part of the music culture is about to die in Viet Nam. Oh sure, you'll say, Viet Nam is so far away. How could the death of music there hurt us? This, of course, sounds like political discourse from a few years ago, but we'll let that slide. The communists have taken over, and they're killing music in Viet Nam...and I won't stand for it.
Actually, it's happening in a sneaky, subtle way. Convinced that social evils of drug abuse and prostitution have taken over this erstwhile pure society, the government has banned the serving of alcohol in karaoke bars in Viet Nam. The popularity of karaoke bars lies somewhere between soccer fans in England and the Cameron Crazies. Karaoke is what SE Asians DO for entertainment. Since the 1980's, an estimated 10,000 karaoke bars have sprung up in Viet Nam...and face it, there can't be that many cities so this is a LOT of karaoke places.
In a recent crackdown in Ho Chi Minh City, an estimated 600 people were found to be using ecstasy and more than 60 (that's right 6-0) strippers were arrested in karaoke places. Hence the alcohol ban. It's for your own good. Trust us. (It was, of course, only a matter of time before the hedonism of the West caught up to the communists. I say it serves them right.)
So, you might be thinking, how does all this affect the life and death of music? Can you imagine singing karaoke without having had a few drinks? I didn't think so.