Seven Die Of Drug Overdose At Vietnam Electronic Weekend

NHAC NGUYEN/AFP/Getty Images – The entrance to the West Lake Water Park in Hanoi on Sept. 17, where the Vietnam Electronic Weekend took place
Seven partygoers died from drug use at the event

Seven people reportedly died of a drug overdose at Vietnam Electronic Weekend in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, Sept. 16, while five festivalgoers were taken to local hospitals in a coma.

Local authorities told press that the deaths and comas resulted from the same drug, although it remains unclear what type of drug was used.

The third edition of Vietnam Electronic Weekend took place at the West Lake water park near Hanoi’s city center, headlined by Dutch duo Yellow Claw, and attended by several thousand people. According to reports, all drug victims were Vietnamese.

The incidents at the festival have led the Vietnamese government to ban EDM events for the foreseeable future. 

Vietnam Electronic Weekend was launched in 2016, as the demand for large-scale dance events grew with the worldwide EDM craze.

This year’s event was accompanied by the so-called XPerts electronic music conference, where business professionals, artists and audience were able to discuss current EDM trends and the direction, in which the industry is headed.

“EDM is not only a popular music genre by young people, it has gradually formed a new culture that needs to be developed in the right direction,” vietnamsound.com wrote about the conference.

Vietnam Electronic Weekend is promoted by Hanoi based Connected Agency and Escape Group. The website of Connected Agency was down when Pollstar tried to reach out for comment from company founder and CEO Việt Anh Nguyễn.