VietNamNet Bridge – Advertising firms are again complaining that the advertising law is a “step back” in the process of administrative reform.

Nguyen Quang Vinh, deputy director of Khai Hoan Trade & Arts Services Company, said he once hoped the ad law, which took effect it in 2013, would be beneficial for firms, but is now disappointed.

“The policymakers said the advertising law was a considerable step forward in the process of administrative reform. But I don’t think so,” he said.

“The administrative formalities required by the law are really complicated, which make you feel as if you are losing yourself in thick woods,” Vinh said.

The director of a private runly ad firm also noted that he has to spend too much time on administrative procedures.

Under the law, enterprises do not have to spend time and fees to apply for licenses to install billboards, but need to provide information about the billboard installation.

However, the new regulation turns out to be even more complicated and time-consuming than the previous laws.

When asked about the steps ad firms must follow to be able to install a billboard, the director, who lives in Da Nang, said that his firm must take pictures of the premises where it plans to install billboards, draw up the prospective, design the billboard installation and submit documents to the city’s construction department.

The department will submit the project to the city’s people’s committee if it is approved. After the city authorities give the nod to the project, the documents will be sent back to the construction department. After that, the documents are then forwarded to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for approval.

“There are so many procedures we have to follow, and we have to spend time and fees on every procedure,” the director said.

Truong Dinh Duc, director of Vietgroup, said it costs at least VND500 million to install a billboard, while the license has short validity of one year only.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Hung, chair of the Da Nang City Ad Association, complained that the requirements set up by the Ministry of Construction are also “troublesome”.

The ministry stipulates that the billboards set in the precinct of shopping malls, supermarkets, terminals, airports, parking lots and stations must not be larger than 40 square meters.

“It would be unreasonable, wasteful and unaesthetic to put up a 40 square meter ad board on a wall with the area of 100 square meters,” he said.

Chi Mai