Experts have repeatedly warned of the problems in the online ad market, saying that the market is chaotic as foreign ad providers do not strictly follow Vietnamese laws. 

They do not provide information about contact addresses or they provide vague information. Cross-border platforms such as YouTube and Facebook loosened their control over users, allowing them to make money by placing ads on content in violation as well. Many ad agents, running after profits, are willing to place ads arbitrarily, including on low-quality news websites.

As a result, the ads of many brands and enterprises have been attached to toxic content.

To solve the problem, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has dealt with platforms and ad agents with a heavy hand. The violators have been found placing ads on pirated webs, or websites with toxic content thar encourage reactionary activities aiming at fighting against the Party and the State. 

According to the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), in 2023, the agency punished 10 businesses and warned 15 ad service providers which committed violations.

Most recently, ABEI has released a decision on imposing administrative fines on WPP Media for placing ads of two brands on ‘Flight to You’, a drama that aired on YouTube containing the illegal cow tongue’s line.

The serious measures applied by agencies and the struggle by ad firms have forced cross-border platforms to change their policies. They have exchanged information with state management agencies more often and have also used new algorithms to scan, detect and block toxic channels.

In 2023, YouTube blocked and removed 25 channels with reactionary content, five times more than in 2022.

The drastic moves by MIC have been applauded by the business community as they have helped make the ad market healthier.

A representative of a large ad network in Vietnam said that all cross-border platforms want to observe the laws of the host country. However, when dealing with channels violating content regulations, they need to be provided with transparent regulations which help them detect pirated content and content in violation of Vietnamese laws.

“Foreign ad platforms are multinationals and their standards and rules may be different from Vietnam’s standards and rules. Therefore, the state needs to give exact concepts about violations to help them better observe the Vietnamese laws,” he said.

“If regulations are clear but foreign companies still deliberately break the laws, they need to be heavily sanctioned in accordance with the laws,” he said.

Trong Dat