Entering the internet cafe after hours, suddenly the door behind closed silently

(Dan Tri) - Faced with the risk of being fined up to 15 million VND if they open after 10pm, many electronic shops choose to close their doors from the outside but still secretly operate inside.

The entrance is dark, the inside is noisy

At around 11:00 p.m., Dan Tri reporter was in front of an electronics shop in a building located on Vu Tong Phan street (Hanoi).

From the outside, the rolling door was pulled down close to the ground, the sign flickered with light, and the entire facade was covered with thick black curtains.

Passersby, if they were just passing by, would probably think the shop was really closed.

However, just lightly knock on the rolling door and someone from inside will immediately open the door to welcome you.

After a few seconds of observation, the staff pulled the door up just enough for a person to quickly enter.

In contrast to the silent and dark space outside, when inside, the number of motorbikes lined the entire aisle.

Continuing to move to the third floor of the building, the reporter was surprised by a completely different scene.

The whole room was lit up by the lights from dozens of computers. Most of the computer rows were full, many people were wearing headphones, attentively "plowing" each brain-busting game with their eyes glued to the screen.

The sound of typing on the keyboard, the sound of the mouse and the sounds from the matches resound continuously, mixed with the shouts and exchanges of strategies of the players, creating a vibrant atmosphere just like the weekend rush hours.

According to records, the service counter area still has staff on duty, mixing water and preparing food for customers. Below, a security guard opened the door and quickly pulled the door back down.

Notably, when the reporter registered a player account and asked about night game packages, the staff at the counter quickly introduced a series of attractive options.

The price of these packages usually ranges from 30,000 to 40,000 VND, serving players who want to use the service overnight.

For example, by spending only 30,000 VND, customers can use the computer in the computer area from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. the next morning. If you want to experience machines with higher configuration, customers can choose the competition machine areas for 40,000 VND.

Especially the 10-hour free package with prices ranging from 80,000 VND to 100,000 VND, guests also receive optional drinks.

According to the reporter's subsequent observations, the number of customers at the restaurant continued to fluctuate, with more people arriving even though it was nearly midnight.

The majority of players are young men, and drinks and food such as instant noodles are often placed on each computer table to serve hours-long playing sessions.

Not only the regular machines area, the rows of machines in the high-end area are also almost full. When a new person arrives, the players are all engrossed in the game, no one bothers to pay attention to the new person.

Some places are closed for real, some places are closed for formality

Dan Tri reporter's survey shows that the case of the electronic shop on Vu Tong Phan street is not unique.

On some streets in Hanoi such as Kim Giang, Chinh Kinh, Tan Trieu, some shops also choose to operate discreetly after 10pm.

The common point of the shops is that they all close their doors or close the main door and open the side door, cover the curtains, and turn off the lights to create the feeling that they have stopped operating.

However, behind closed doors, the computer is still on, the staff is still serving food and drinks and the guests continue to play until morning.

At a shop on Kim Giang Street, when the reporter arrived at around 10:30 p.m., he had to strain his eyes to scan the surrounding space for a long time before he could see the shop's sign.

When entering the restaurant, most of the lights were turned off, the curtains were closed to shield the entire interior space from outside views. Only the light from the reception desk was enough for staff to assist customers.

Similar to the shop on Vu Tong Phan street, this establishment still introduces many overnight packages with prices ranging from several tens of thousands of dong.

Even though it was past 10:30 p.m., there were still quite a few customers inside the restaurant. There were only about 4 machines left, and the sounds of keyboards, mice, and sounds from matches were still ringing continuously.

But what is more notable is the case of some shops located deep in alleys or in hidden locations, so there is almost no need to "disguise" too carefully.

Outside of allowed operating hours, these establishments still have their lights on, customers come in and out continuously, and operate as if there had never been a ban.

At a restaurant located in an alley on Chinh Kinh street, the main door is still open, the lights are bright, and customers still come regularly.

Another shop is located in a quite deep alley on Tan Trieu street, the same thing happens, even in front of the shop there is a banner "night combo price is only 25k".

However, not all electronic shops choose to continue operating in hiding or blatantly do business illegally during prohibited hours.

Recorded by reporters at a number of establishments on Nguyen Trai Street (Hanoi) show that many shops have seriously complied with the new operating hours.

At around 10:15 p.m., the rolling door was pulled down completely, the glass door was closed, the interior lights were mostly turned off, and the parking area was empty.

The reporter, playing the role of a visitor, when talking to the shop owner, said that the shop had stopped operating after 10pm a long time ago and suggested that customers should visit during the day with more preferential programs.

Right next to this facility, another electronics shop is also in a similar situation. At around 10:30 p.m., the door was closed, the sign turned off the lights, and when we looked inside, we could no longer see any customers.

It can be seen that after the penalty for operating after 10 p.m. took effect, electronic shops are behaving quite differently.

Some establishments have seriously closed on time and adjusted their business operations to adapt, such as adding promotional programs and organizing tournaments during the day.

On the contrary, many shops are worried about revenue decline so they still find ways to maintain operations in many ways.

Risk of being fined up to 15 million VND

Decree 174/2026/ND-CP clearly stipulates sanctions, with a focus on managing cyberspace and video games.

According to regulations, public electronic game service providers, also known as electronic shops, can be fined from 10 to 15 million VND for operating outside the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

In addition to the act of opening beyond prescribed hours, a fine of 10 to 15 million VND is also applied to cases such as setting up points providing public electronic game services without a certificate of eligibility to operate.

In particular, for players, the Decree also stipulates a fine of between 600,000 and 1 million VND for non-compliance with regulations on management of playing hours at public electronic game service providers.

The new sanctions are mainly aimed at strengthening the management of e-shop business activities, ensuring a healthy entertainment environment, and limiting late-night gaming, especially among teenagers.