WHAT TO DO AFTER DARK : WESTMINSTER : Karaoke Revives Vietnam Memories

As the lyrics of the song flashed on the giant television screen, Trung Nguyen crooned about a lost love, rekindling memories of his youth back in Vietnam.

“I sing to say what’s in my mind,” said Nguyen, 27, of Garden Grove, who delivers newspapers for a living. “It makes me lonely no more.”

Nguyen is one of a growing number of Vietnamese Americans who flock to coffee shops and bars in Little Saigon and elsewhere in Westminster to sing or listen to friends sing on a karaoke, or sing-along machine.

It’s an inexpensive entertainment that fills weekend nights with fun, say regulars like Nguyen, who add that listening to songs from the old country relieves some of the loneliness that comes with living in a foreign land.

In the dozen or so karaoke bars, Vietnamese songs, particularly those from the 1960s and 1970s, are the most popular, says Denny Tran, 25, who manages Cafe Luc Huyen Cam on Bolsa Avenue.

“We were born with these songs, with this culture,” said Tran, a Cal State Fullerton business student. “We enjoy the music. It brings back memories.”

Though some residents who complain about the noise and the crowds have tried to slow their spread, sing-along entertainment is becoming increasingly popular, probably because it’s inexpensive and the equipment is easy to install, according to Michael Bouvier, the city’s planning and building manager.

“The technology is very accessible,” Bouvier said. “You just need a television set, a VCR, a compact disc, and you’re all set.”

Bouvier said that in 1991 there were only three karaoke bars in Westminster.

Now there are six with permits, and perhaps 10 more operating without permits, he said. Karaoke bars must comply with parking, permit, seating and other city requirements, just as other nightclubs providing live entertainment.

The permit fee for live entertainment is $750, Bouvier said, adding that most karaoke bars do not sell alcohol and are allowed to stay open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends.

Quan Ngo, who owns Cafe Mi on Golden West Street, said a majority of his customers are male, from teen-agers to those in their 40s, probably because “men like to sing.”

But more likely, it’s because Vietnamese men, unlike the women, don’t go straight home from work, said Cafe Luc Huyen Cam’s Tran.

“I like to sing to my friends, and have a good time,” said Vu Nguyen, 34, of Westminster, who is married. He has been a regular at Cafe Mi for the last three months.

Ngo said his coffee shop has a one-song, one-customer rule, “so everybody gets a chance to sing.”

Customers request from a list of songs provided to each table.

The microphone is passed around, and customers sing from their tables. There is no stage.

Yvonne Nguyen, 15, a sophomore at Westminster High School, said karaoke singing has helped her become more self-confident.

“I used to be embarrassed,” said Nguyen, who sings mainly English songs. “Now I’m used to it.”

But for Tranz Tran, 17, a junior at Los Amigos High School in Fountain Valley, listening to the songs is good enough.

“I’m terrified to sing in front of people,” she said. “But I like coming here; it’s fun. The songs remind me of who I am.”