Gambling shop chains challenge regulations, students flock to "plow at night

In the first article of the series "Lookholes in Vietnam's game industry management", Lao Dong Newspaper reflected that, despite being licensed with the 18+ label, a series of games published by Vietnamese enterprises such as: VNG Group Joint Stock Company, Vietnam Electronic Entertainment and Sports Joint Stock Company (Garena Vietnam), Funta Joint Stock Company,îka Joint Stock Company, VTC Mobile Services Joint Stock Company are classifying age incorrectly on application stores, easily accessible to children, causing many negative consequences.

Continuing to record, we see that the management of public electronic game service points, also known as game shops, also has many loopholes.

Large game shop chain openly operates overnight

Decree No. 147/2024/ND-CP stipulates that public electronic game service points are not allowed to operate from 10 pm to 8 am the next morning. However, the reality is completely opposite.

On the night of May 18, we arrived at 10 Tran Phu, Ha Dong, Hanoi. The 3rd floor of this shopping center building is a game shop belonging to the Spartacus Gaming Center system.

24 hours a night, crowds of "gamers" come here to start their journey of grinding games overnight. Rows of machines are full, the sound of the keyboard clicking, the sound of the mouse clicking rapidly. It is not difficult to see many very young faces, wearing school uniforms, attentively looking at the screen for many hours.

Here, the night combo is divided into price levels from 35,000 - 60,000 VND, depending on the area and machine configuration. There are common areas, areas for couples, areas for smokers, separate stream areas... Owning a combo, players will be able to play continuously from 11 pm to 7 am the next morning.

While engrossed in a shooting game, an 11th grade male student (who asked to remain anonymous) said that he often goes to a bar to play "night combo" with friends.

“Initially, I just tried playing for fun, but then found it cheaper than playing during the day, so I went more often. Some days I played from 11 pm until morning. The next day I went to school very tired, sometimes dozing off in class but still difficult to get out of it,” this male student said.

In another corner of the game shop, while "ranking" in an action game, a group of 3 9th grade students said that playing all night has become a habit, even though they are entering the final stage.

At first, I feel happy, but the later I get, the more tired and dizzy I become. But if I don't play, I feel lacking, like being swept away," a male student said.

Not far from Spartacus Gaming Center is another game shop named Net Vikings located at 102 Tran Phu Street (Ha Dong), this is one of the facilities of Vikings Gaming - the famous name of the Cyber Game model (high-end internet cafe business model).

Just stepping into this shop, anyone will be overwhelmed by the scene that even at midnight, hundreds of computers are still operating continuously.

According to PV's records, the 7-hour night combo of Net Vikings Ha Dong has a price ranging from 35,000 VND to 90,000 VND. The game shop also has additional "Sober Combo" packages, which have both a 7-hour play time and come with food and drinks for gamers.

At nearly 1 am on May 19, inside Net Vikings Ha Dong, groups of players - mainly of school age, continuously cheered after each game, calling each other loudly, even at times groups of guests simultaneously shouted and cursed when the game entered its climax.

According to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper, at other large game shop systems in Hanoi such as Gaming X, OEG Stadium, overnight operations against regulations also take place blatantly.

Illegal service advertising has been rampant for many years

The overnight gaming service has been heavily promoted by game shop systems for many years, as if there were no prohibition regulations.

Like Spartacus Gaming Center, there are more than 10 game rooms scattered throughout Hanoi. Night combo is advertised directly by the game room on social network Facebook, despite the prohibition regulations clearly stated in Decree 147.

Or like Gaming

In this system, the night combo is advertised as a trick to attract customers. In November 2025, Gaming X also launched a big promotion on a fanpage with 38,000 followers: "Night combo price is only 19,000 VND for 8 hours of play".

Meanwhile, on Vikings Gaming's official website, it is stated that this system has 8 sites in Hanoi and 7 sites in Ho Chi Minh City.

Night combo is also continuously advertised by this system on the website: "Play enough hours, fight enough dollars. Only from 33,000 VND - 7 hours of play. Opening hours: from 11pm - 2pm".

And at OEG Stadium, it is 1 of 6 cyber facilities belonging to Dai Duong Entertainment Group Joint Stock Company. At the end of March, OEG Stadium launched on the fanpage the program "Buy 2 get 1 free" with the promotion "Buy 2 night combo, get 1 more night combo free".

Thus, large game chains blatantly operating overnight against regulations are silently causing many worrying consequences for students and children - the future sprouts of the country.