HANOI: A Vietnamese court on Wednesday (October 30) convicted six people, including four police officers, for a fire that ravaged a karaoke bar two years ago, killing 32 people.

The fire in a province near the business hub of Ho Chi Minh City has shocked Vietnam and led to the closure of thousands of karaoke bars across the country for failure to comply with fire regulations.

The court in the southern province of Binh Duong convicted the bar’s owner, a contractor involved in its construction and four police officers for violating fire rules and negligence.

The bar’s owner, Le Anh Xuan, was sentenced to eight years in prison, while the bar’s fire prevention system contractor was sentenced to five years.

Four police officers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to seven and a half years.

In his final words in court last week, bar owner Le Anh Xuan apologized to the victims and their families, saying “my mistakes caused huge losses.”

Flames tore through the second floor of the 30-room An Phu karaoke building in Binh Duong in September 2022, trapping customers and staff as thick smoke filled the stairs and blocked the emergency exit.

Many gathered on a balcony to escape the flames, which quickly spread through the wooden interior, while others were forced to jump from the building.

In total, 32 people died in the inferno, 17 men and 15 women.

The officers were charged for their involvement in the design and approval of the bar’s fire prevention system.

Vietnam regularly faces deadly fires – 56 people were killed in a Hanoi apartment disaster last year – and the Binh Duong fire sparked a nationwide crackdown on karaoke bars who did not comply with fire regulations.

More than two thirds of the country’s approximately 15,000 karaoke bars have been forced to close, according to state media citing police sources.