Online Advertising Platforms Vietnam: New Regulations for Market Entry
Vietnam’s new decree marks a significant shift in the regulation of online advertising, introducing strict 24-hour takedown requirements and enhanced enforcement powers. The experts at ECOVIS Vietnam Law outline the key changes and what international platforms need to consider when operating in the Vietnamese market.
1. The Context – The “What”
With the introduction of Degree No. 342/2025/ND-CP, effective 15 February 2026, Vietnam introduces explicit enforcement mechanisms for illegal online advertising. The decree establishes a mandatory 24-hour takedown obligation for online advertisements upon request by relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and public security authorities.
The obligation applies broadly to advertisers, ad networks, publishers, and online advertising platforms, including cross-border digital platforms whose services are accessible in Vietnam. In cases involving national security, removal must be prompt, with no delay beyond the initial 24-hour deadline.
Where stakeholders fail to comply, the authorities are empowered to deploy technical blocking measures, including access restrictions at the telecoms and internet service provider (ISP) levels.
2. The Impact – The “So What”
For European and international platforms, the decree significantly increases the risk of operational and enforcement exposure in Vietnam. Compliance is no longer assessed solely on policy documentation, but also on actual response capability within a legally fixed timeframe.
Vietnamese regulators have, over the past two years, demonstrated a growing willingness to coordinate across ministries and telecoms operators to enforce digital regulations. This trend suggests that takedown orders will be time-sensitive, technically enforced, and increasingly standardized.
Platforms without localized escalation procedures, Vietnamese-language compliance handling, or clear internal authority to act quickly may face service disruption risks disproportionate to the underlying advertising issue.
3. Practical Case / Example
An international advertising platform receives a written takedown request concerning allegedly illegal ad content displayed to Vietnamese users. The request is routed through regional compliance teams outside of Asia and awaits internal review.
Under Decree No. 342/2025/ND-CP, delayed internal escalation may result in missed statutory deadlines, exposing the platform to immediate blocking measures, even where the platform intends to cooperate in principle.
4. Advice for Clients
- Map the internal decision-making processes for takedowns against the 24-hour statutory requirement;
- Establish Vietnam-specific escalation and response protocols;
- Test operational readiness for regulator-initiated takedown scenarios.
5. ECOVIS Vietnam Services
ECOVIS Vietnam supports international clients with the following:
- Enforcement risk assessments for digital and ad-tech platforms.
- Design of compliant takedown and authority-response procedures.
- Ongoing regulatory monitoring and local authority coordination.
