A devastating fire at a cafe and karaoke bar in Hanoi has left 11 people dead and two others injured, Vietnamese authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The blaze broke out on the ground floor of the three-storey building late on Wednesday night, trapping patrons inside as flames quickly spread through the structure.
The Ministry of Public Security announced the arrest of a man in his early 50s, saying he had confessed to starting the fire following an argument with staff.
According to a police statement, the suspect used petrol to ignite the ground floor of the establishment, where patrons were gathered for karaoke-style singing.
The fire was reported shortly after 11pm local time and rapidly engulfed the building, cutting off all exits and leaving those inside with no means of escape. Rescue teams rushed to the scene, managing to pull seven people from the flames, two of whom were immediately hospitalised with injuries.
Eyewitness accounts described a scene of chaos and helplessness. “At that time, we saw many people screaming for help but could not approach because the fire spread very quickly, and even with a ladder, we could not climb up,” a witness told the Lao Dong newspaper.
Another witness quoted by the Tien Phong newspaper reported hearing an explosion and detecting a strong smell of petrol as the fire raged. “The fire blocked all the exits,” the witness said. “The smell of gasoline was strong.”
CCTV footage obtained by VnExpress showed a man carrying a bucket towards the building moments before the blaze erupted. Local media reported that the fire was brought under control after 40 minutes, but by then it had already caused extensive damage and claimed several lives.
Images from the scene showed firefighters working tirelessly to extinguish the flames while the bodies of victims were carried out of the smouldering wreckage. “I noticed a column of smoke from afar,” a witness told VnExpress. “I was so frightened that I had to urge my grandchild to go downstairs. The flames were so fierce. We saw the fire but there was nothing else we could do.”
The tragedy has prompted Vietnam’s prime minister Pham Minh Chinh to order a thorough investigation and to call for strict penalties for anyone found to have violated safety regulations.
Fires remain a persistent hazard in Vietnam’s densely packed urban centres, where high population density and lax safety standards can combine with devastating consequences. Between 2017 and 2022, some 17,000 fires were reported – most of them in urban areas – resulting in 433 deaths, according to government statistics.
This incident follows a series of deadly fires in Vietnam that have raised questions about fire safety standards. In September 2023, a fire at a Hanoi apartment block killed 56 people, including four children. In 2022, a fire at a karaoke complex in Binh Duong province claimed 32 lives. In that case, six individuals, including four police officers, were sentenced to prison for negligence.
Additional reporting by agencies
