KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — The recent announcement by Kuala Lumpur mayor Tan Sri Mhd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz that the operation hours of nightspots in the city may be revised got many people talking.

Is Kuala Lumpur — with some of its clubs closing at 5am — the party town of South-east Asia? Not really.

A check on the closing times of clubs and bars in the region suggests the city’s “party hours” are comparable to some of its regional counterparts.

The operation hours appear to be influenced by government policies or laws, as well as other factors such as the neighbourhood the outlets are in.

1. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Entertainment district TREC says on its website that its key tenant, superclub Zouk KL, is the only nightspot in the city with a “5am operating licence.” TREC also told Malay Mail recently that it has many bars and clubs with closing hours ranging from 3am to 5am.

Zouk KL, ranked 21st in DJ Mag’s global list of Top 100 Clubs for last year, states on its official Facebook account that it closes at 3am (Sunday-Tuesday), 4am (Wednesday) and 5am (Thursday-Saturday).

The outlets in designated entertainment areas such as Jalan P. Ramlee, Changkat Bukit Bintang and Sri Hartamas are allowed to operate until 3am, while those located outside of the designated zones are allowed to operate only until 1am.

The Kuala Lumpur mayor recently said however that the operating hours of TREC which was given special permission to operate until 5am will be reviewed.

2. Singapore

The island-city has a long list of nightspots open until 1am to 3am. Contrary to the perceived staid image that some may hold of the financial hub, Singapore has quite a number of outlets listed as open until 4am, with around eight listed as closing at only 5am and 6am.

Singapore’s legendary superclub Zouk, which is ranked 4th globally in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs 2017 list, has closing times for its outlets ranging from 2am to 4am depending on days.

This is despite the Singapore government passing the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act which came into force on April 1, 2015 and which bans the drinking of alcohol and retail selling of takeaway alcohol from 10.30pm to 7am. This is because places like pubs can continue to sell alcohol based on their licensing conditions, with patrons also allowed to consume the drinks.

3. Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta is no slouch when it comes to partying, with three of its nightclubs listed in DJ Mag’s Top 100 clubs in 2017 and all with listed closing times of 4am — Colossuem (58), X2 (90) and Dragonfly (98).

Jakarta’s nightspots’ closing times are mostly listed as within the 3am to 5am range.

In accordance with a local regulation and a decree by the Jakarta governor dating back to 2004, nightclubs and bars in the city have to close throughout the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, as well as a day before Ramadan starts and on Hari Raya Aidilfitri itself and a day after that.

This was enforced last year like in previous years, with certain exceptions such as for nightclubs located in commercial areas and in hotels, away from residential areas, schools, hospitals and religious places of worship.

4. Manila, the Philippines

Manila’s The Palace ranked 53rd in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs list last year, and the city has several nightclubs with listed closing times as late as 6am.

5. Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok’s Onyx which was ranked 92nd on the same DJ Mag list last year has a listed closing time of 2am, reflecting the general trend of most nightspots in the Thai capital listed as closing at around 1am or 2am.

6. Vientiane, Laos

Nightspots here mostly close by 11pm or midnight, with only a few listed as closing as late as 1am or 2am.

Last year, the Laos prime minister signed a government decree which will require entertainment outlets to follow the official opening and closing times of 6pm and midnight.

7. Hanoi, Vietnam

Entertainment outlets here close from as early as midnight to 3am, according to online listings.

Nightclubs, karaoke parlours, restaurants, cafes are required to close at midnight here, while bars at higher-end hotels can continue operating until 2am. But this rule was relaxed from September 2016 for restaurants and bars in a select district of the city to allow them to close at 2am on Fridays and weekends.

8. Naypyitaw and Yangon, Myanmar

Naypyitaw, which became Myanmar’s new capital in 2005, appears to have few nightspots available according to online listings and with closing times ranging from between 10pm to 2am.

Over in former capital Yangon, nightclubs’ closing times range from 2am to 5am.

9. Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The majority of nightspots here, including bars, close at around 11am to 1am. A small number have closing times of between 2am to 5am.

10. Brunei

It is believed that Brunei has no bars or nightclubs — places where alcohol is traditionally available, as the country has banned the sale of alcohol since 1991.

Non-Muslims are not allowed to drink alcohol in public there, but may bring in two bottles of alcohol and 12 cans of beer to the country for their personal use and private consumption.