Having been to many different countries and experienced the nightlife there, of course I have also been keen to do the same here in Kunming. I've been to Kundu around 5 times now with no incidents or problems whatsoever whenever I've been there; in fact, I feel safer here than I would in the west.

However, a spate of recent incidents, including a dead guy last night (Wednesday night 25th June) and 5 people ganging up on a foreigner, not to mention some guys storming into a small restaurant next to Kundu and dragging the owner outside has got me thinking...how safe is Kundu? I've heard of incidents ranging from a stabbing of a Thai guy by a local man last year, an Australian guy taking a leak in the DJ booth a couple of months ago resulting in foreigners getting banned from a certain club there for about 2 weeks and other incidents seems to give the impression of a shady place.

What do you guys think? Is it normal practice for the people running the clubs there to ban foreigners for a while, if just one foreigner plays up by doing something stupid, like getting drunk and pissing in the dj booth? I'm just wondering about safety, as it seems bizarre that like 4 incidents could occur in just one night....sounds like the wild west to me, rather than what I always thought was a relatively civilized place to drink and dance.

Well I guess it depends on how you behave and what people you are hanging out with. In Kundu you can find a lot of rather unstable people who think they can do whatever they want just 'cause they have money. It would be good if you make friends with the people working in the club and they will help you if something happens.

If people start acting weird and want to start a fight it's better to just smile, apologize and leave before they throw a bottle in your head. I would say it is safer if you stick to the more expensive clubs and don't hang around outside.

Clubs ban foreigners at times 'cause they get tired of the people that go there every night begging for booze.

However I agree with you, I felt safe going out in Kundu. Just use your common sense and don't pee on the DJ booth and you will be fine :)

Haha...good point. Drunk people in clubs are naturally unpredictable, though I've always felt that drunk people in China just tend to act funny, start stumbling and within moments start to throw up, not really dangerous like in the west though. Note that I wasn't around when those incidents I described above happened...but I have to say I'm puzzled by what appears to be a large number of separate incidents. Also, apparently the police simply blocked off the area where that person died but didn't appear to be doing anything else, according to the people I talked to, who went to Kundu on Wednesday night.

All bar districts all over the world are roughly the same. THere's always a certain underground criminal element. And women should ALWAYS be careful - travel in packs, never drink anything that was not delivered directly to you (and then some) (spiked drinks, date rape, slave trade, etc).

Hahaha yes I know. But as long as you are in one of the nicer clubs the guards and the hosts will keep everything under control. At other place in Kundu I have seen groups of ten kicking a person that is lying down, a guy hitting a girl in the face etc. There will always be people that want to start a fight but just be smart :)

I remember one time at Soho when a paozi grabbed my arm and wouldn't let me go. When my foreign friend asked the guy to let go of my arm that guy just showed his platinum VIP card. In this kind of situation it's good if you know some of the hosts at the club. For example Guo Laoshi at Babi.

Do you know anything else about the guy that died? Was he a foreigner or Chinese? The thing about the restaurant sounds like some sort of heibang affair.

@Laotou- I guess but I haven't heard of anyone getting drugged in Kundu the last three years. But of course one should be careful.

The guy that died yesterday was probably Chinese from what I heard. The Thai guy who was stabbed last year apparently died from his injuries...

I've also heard of a Lao guy who would always pick fights at Kundu and elsewhere and get himself into trouble nearly everywhere he went...he was on a student visa and in fact got deported after a serious incident at his dormitory.

It's hard to say because each situation is different, but it seems that foreigners in these situations are often getting themselves into trouble by not being careful enough, given they're in a foreign country, different culture etc. they really should be extra careful. Also, like everyone else has said...just be careful, don't do anything stupid and definately don't pick a fight.

@annaurora
Kundu, dunno - always pass thru, never stop. The drugged drink trick is popular in the more "developed" countries, such as Japan and Taiwan - although the targets are typically Taiwanese students - no political protection.

Few years ago they finally found a couple of Taiwanese students in Hokkaido - they'd been kidnapped (spiked drinks) as tourists out of Tokyo or Osaka - then sent to the remote rural Hokkaido as sex slaves (prostitution) to the local farmers (so obviously someone must have known, but nobody did anything).

Tokyo taxi driver tried to force/coerce my wife into going on a "date" with him the first time she visited me in Tokyo. He had taken her to the remote dock area when I called to find out why she was so late (for lunch) - fortunately she had her mobile phone - heard the driver apologizing profusely and promising to take her directly to my office (well-known office building in Tokyo).

In case you're wondering - my wife paid the excessive fare and told the driver to hurry up and get lost as I'm sometimes not a very nice person. Kind of ticked me off - why give money to a criminal?

@ Laotou. I am so happy nothing close to that has ever happend to me or anyone I know :s

I have only heard about Chinese girls getting drugged in Kundu but it is rather surprising that it isn't more common considering the whole "giving drinks to strangers"-thing. I guess it's best just to have your friends around at all times when you go out.

kundu's very safe. I'm a frequent kundu goer (almost 3-4 nights a week) and it always depends on who your with and how smart you are. even if your drunk. if your going to kundu to act tough an pick fights, you'll either end up dead or beaten and you'll give bad names to other foreigners who just wants to have a good time there.
I go there just to talk to new people,dance and of course hook up with women. I've had three girls so far and they were all amazing and great people. You have to know that a lot of chinese guys there might have self-esteem issues around kundu 'cause there's a lot of booze and a lotta girls and a hella lotta guys lookin' for those girls. it's the old "i'm gonna act tough and the girls might be impressed with me"
don't fall into that stupid pride trap.
go there and have fun until 4 in the morning when all the girls are drunk and ready to open themselves up more and mingle . if you chat them up at 11 or midnight they still be stuck up their ass

don't lose temper. besides, true authority never yells.