An event with foreign artists can succeed with audiences and still lose money on procedure: the programme was never approved, billboards went up before notification, and nobody budgeted music royalties. Three different mechanisms govern these three areas, and all must run in parallel from the day the artist contract is signed.
Licensing performances with a foreign element
Artistic performances follow Decree 144/2020/ND-CP: the organiser must obtain approval to organise the performance from the competent authority (the provincial People’s Committee or the Department of Culture and Sports, as delegated) before the event. For programmes with foreign artists or overseas Vietnamese artists, the appraisal file covers the set list, lyrics, script and artist information — performed content must respect public morals and the prohibited-content rules. The common trap: international artist contracts lock dates and deposits before Vietnamese approval exists; organisers should make Vietnamese approval a condition precedent with a deposit-refund mechanism in the artist-management contract.
Events, festivals and outdoor advertising: two stacked procedure layers
Beyond performance approval, a large event touches further layers: public security and order, fire-safety appraisal for temporary stages and stands, structural safety for rigging, and public-space use if held outdoors. Event advertising follows the Advertising Law 16/2012/QH13: outdoor advertising (billboards, banners, LED screens) must conform to the locality’s advertising planning and requires notification of the advertising product to the culture authority before display; press and social advertising must match the notified content and avoid prohibited or restricted goods and services. Frequent violations: displaying before the permitted date, exceeding planned dimensions, and using artist images beyond the image contract’s scope.
Music and image copyright: budget it from day one
Public performance of musical works triggers the duty to pay for use of the works to authors and copyright owners — in practice through the collective management organisation for music authors’ rights (VCPMC) under the Intellectual Property Law 50/2005 as amended by Law 07/2022/QH15. The organiser declares the works used and pays before the event; using recordings and artist images in advertising needs agreements on related rights of performers and record producers and on image rights. Skipping this layer will not stop the show, but it creates a royalty debt collected with interest, plus the reputational risk of being named on the collective organisation’s violator lists.
Frequently asked questions
How is a performance licence for foreign artists obtained?
Under Decree 144/2020/ND-CP, an artistic performance must be approved for organisation by the competent authority before the event; programmes with foreign artists face closer appraisal of the set list, lyrics and script. The organiser files with the provincial People’s Committee or the Department of Culture and Sports, as delegated where the event is held, and should only lock non-refundable payments to the artist side after the written approval arrives.
What permits does an event or festival organiser need?
Beyond performance approval under Decree 144/2020, a large event usually needs public-security coordination, fire-safety appraisal for temporary stages and stands, structural safety, and public-venue conditions if held outdoors. Each layer has its own authority and processing time, so the organiser should build a procedure matrix by venue at the venue-selection stage instead of chasing licences in sequence.
How is outdoor advertising planned and notified?
Outdoor advertising must conform to the locality’s outdoor advertising planning, and the advertiser must notify the advertising product to the culture management authority before display, under the Advertising Law 16/2012. A site outside the planning, display before the notification takes effect, or exceeding permitted dimensions are the most commonly fined and dismantled violations.
Does an event have to pay music copyright fees?
Yes. Publicly performing musical works requires paying usage fees to authors and owners, usually through the VCPMC collective management organisation under the Intellectual Property Law. The organiser declares the song list and pays per the agreement and the organisation’s tariff; using recordings and artist images in advertising additionally needs related-rights and image-rights agreements. Non-payment is collected retroactively and can draw administrative fines.
FLAT Law Firm — FLAT Law Firm advises on foreign-element events: performance approval under Decree 144/2020, outdoor advertising notification and music and image copyright clearance.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council