Regulations on words and text on signboards of organizations and individuals doing business and production in Vietnam

Regulations on words and text on signboards of organizations and individuals doing business and production in Vietnam (Internet image) 

Regarding this issue, LawNet answers as follows:

What is are signboards?

Signboards are a means of advertising according to the Law on Advertising 2012 in order to present the public with the profitable products, goods and service; non-profitable products and services; organizations and individuals trading and providing the presented products, goods and services, except for news, social policies; personal information.

The signboard must include the following contents:

- The name of the direct line agency (if any);

- The name of the production facility or the business establishment consistent with the Certificate of business registration;

- The address and phone number.

(Clause 1, Article 34 of the Law on Advertising 2012)

Regulations on words and text on signboards of organizations and individuals doing business and production in Vietnam

Words and text in advertisements must comply with the provisions of Article 18 of the Law on Advertising 2012, specifically as follows:

- The advertisement content must be expressed in Vietnamese, except for the following cases:

+ The brand name, slogan, trade mark or proper name is in foreign languages, or internationalized words that cannot be substituted by Vietnamese;

+ Books, websites and print media permitted to be published in Vietnam’s ethnic languages, foreign languages; radio, television broadcasts in Vietnam’ ethnic languages or foreign languages.

- For advertisements that contain both Vietnamese and the foreign language, the foreign font size must not exceed three quarters of the Vietnamese text and must be placed below the Vietnamese text; on radio, TV or other audio-visual media, the Vietnamese must be spoken before the foreign text

(Clause 2, Article 34 of the Law on Advertising 2012)

What is the signboard sizes of organizations and individuals doing business and production in Vietnam?

According to Clause 3, Article 34 of the of the Law on Advertising 2012, the signboard sizes are specified as follows:

- For horizontal signboards, the maximum height is 02 meters (m), the length must not exceed the width of the house front;

- For vertical signboards, the maximum width is 01 meter (m), the maximum height is 04 meters (m) but must not exceed the height of the floor where the signboard is located.

Does building a signboard require a construction permit from a competent authority in Vietnam?

The construction of outdoor advertising screens, signboards, independent billboards attached to another existing construction must be issued with the construction license from local competent agencies in charge of construction in the following cases:

- Building outdoor advertising screens with 20 m2 of one side or above;

- Building signboards, billboards with over 20 m2 of one side with metal structure or similar materials and attached to another existing construction.

- Independent billboards with 40 m2 one side or above.

The application for the advertising construction license includes:

- The written application for the advertising construction license;

- The copy of the Certificate of business registration of the organization or individual applying for the advertising construction license;

- The authenticated copy of one of the following papers: the land use right certificate, the written agreement or contract for land lease as prescribed by law provisions on land regarding independent advertising constructions;

The location lease contract between the investor of the advertising construction and the owner, or the legal owner of the advertising construction attached to another existing construction, or the written bid winning notice for the advertising locations subject to compulsory bidding in the planning;

- For advertising constructions attached to another existing construction, the written agreement or the contract between the investor of the advertising construction and the owner or the person authorized to manage the existing construction;

- The design drawing from the legal design organizations demonstrating the isometric surface, cross section, orthographic projections and the foundation projection of the construction together with the signature and seal of the advertising construction investor.

For advertising constructions attached to another existing construction, the design drawing must demonstrate the connection of the advertising construction and the existing construction.

The advertising construction license is issued under the following procedures:

- The organization or individual applying for the advertising construction license shall submit the dossier at the local competent agency in charge of construction;

- For advertising locations within the advertising plan approved by the provincial People’s Committee, the local competent agency in charge of construction shall issue the advertising construction license within 15 days as from fully receiving the valid dossier. If the license is not issued, the reasons must be specified in the written response;

- In case the advertising plan is not yet approved, the local competent agency in charge of construction shall send the written request for the opinion from relevant agencies within 02 working days as from receiving the valid dossier.

Within 05 working days as from receiving the written request for opinion from the local competent agency in charge of construction, the relevant agencies stated above must send written response to the local competent agency in charge of construction.

Within 13 days as from obtaining the opinion from the relevant agencies stated above, the local competent agency in charge of construction shall issue the advertising construction license. If the license is not issued, the reasons must be specified in the written response.

(Clause 2, 3, 4, Article 31 of the Law on Advertising 2012)

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