VietNamNet Bridge – Billboards will only be displayed on the outskirts of Ha Noi and the Culture and Sports Department will not grant billboard licences in the city centre this year.

Billboards will only be displayed on the outskirts of Ha Noi and the Culture and Sports Department will not grant billboard licences in the city centre this year.— Photo hanoi.gov.vn

The Vice Director of the department, Nguyen Khac Loi, said that these are some of the new measures addressing recent widespread advertising violations in the city.

Last year city authorities detected more than 15,000 illegal outdoor advertisements, among the 65,000 outdoor advertising billboards across the city. About 6,000 of these advertising violations have yet to be addressed.

Common violations include oversized billboards and unauthorised billboard placement or content.

Violations relating to advertising flyers and posters were seen, with businesses intentionally displaying more flyers than permitted. Current regulations allow businesses to hang about 20-50 flyers or posters for each musical show, trade fair or exhibition. But the actual numbers of posters and flyers posted is usually higher.

The municipal People’s Committee’s new rules pertaining to outdoor advertising took effect last month.

The city identified no-advertising areas, including Ba Dinh Square, around Hoan Kiem Lake, Old Quarter, offices of Party, State and Government bodies, police stations, embassies, and the headquarters of international organisations.

Advertisements will also be limited at places like August 19th Square in front of Ha Noi Opera House, the National Convention Centre, and major lakes around the city, Loi said.

The new rules also govern advertising displays on private buildings and houses. Such places saw many advertising violations in times past, and violations were difficult to address.

Under the new rules, billboards are not allowed to be displayed on buildings or obscuring the roof.

Billboards on building facades must be less than two metres high and not wider than the building’s width.

Each office or store can display its name on only one sign. Such signs are limited to: a maximum height of two metres, if the sign is horizontal; or a maximum height of four metres, if the sign is vertical.

The new regulations are expected to improve urban facades, since advertising remains such a vital part of doing business in recent decades.

Pham Duc Hoa, head of Culture and Information Department in Ha Dong District, said that their district notices increased numbers of violations relating to advertising for music shows or real estate projects.

The Department removes such illegal advertisements and cooperates with communication agencies to deactivate telephone numbers posted in such advertisements. But theses measures still fail to deter violators.

VNS