Scenario: an FDI factory has just been completed. The admin team mounts a large logo sign across the workshop facade and a billboard along the national highway in front of the gate — neither with any filing, on the assumption that “our own sign needs no procedure”. The line between a permit-free signboard and a billboard requiring full procedure is drawn by content and size, and the violation usually surfaces only when an advertising inspection team or the park developer audits the site.
Signboards: permit-free, but not rule-free
Article 34 of the Law on Advertising 16/2012/QH13 defines a signboard as a board placed at an organisation’s premises showing its name, address and logo. A signboard that stays within that definition needs no advertising permit. But the law imposes three limits: the content is confined to the name, address and registered symbol — adding a product slogan turns it into advertising; size and placement must respect the caps for each sign type and must never block fire exits or encroach on pavements and roadways; and building a signboard with one face of 20 m² or more requires a construction permit under clause 2, Article 31 of the Law on Advertising. A factory inside an industrial park is additionally bound by the park’s construction and architecture rules and by the auxiliary-works clauses of its land sub-lease.
Large billboards: three procedures stacked
A standalone highway billboard is full-scale advertising. The precondition is a location inside the locality’s approved outdoor advertising plan — outside the plan, no filing can cure it. Next, the advertiser must file an advertising-product notification with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Article 29 of the Law on Advertising 16/2012/QH13, and may proceed only if the department raises no objection within the statutory window. Finally, a face of 20 m² or more needs a construction permit for the structure, with wind-load structural safety — the document inspectors ask for first after billboard collapse incidents. Content must be primarily Vietnamese: under Article 18, foreign lettering, if any, may not exceed three-quarters of the Vietnamese lettering size and must sit below it.
The risk of erecting first and filing later
Since 15 May 2026, advertising penalties are governed by Decree 87/2026/ND-CP, which replaced Decree 38/2021/ND-CP. The technical point to master is the basis rule in Article 6: the fine amounts in Chapters II and III are set for individuals, offending organisations pay twice as much, with a cap of VND 200 million for organisations in advertising, plus remedial removal of the structure and content. Conduct before 15 May 2026 is judged under the rules in force when it occurred, per Article 94 of the decree. For a factory approaching its inauguration, the correct sequence is: classify the board (signboard or advertising) → measure one face → if advertising: check the plan, file the product notification, obtain the structural construction permit → only then build.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a company logo sign on the factory building need a permit?
No permit is needed if it is a genuine signboard under Article 34 of the Law on Advertising 16/2012/QH13: placed at the premises, showing the company name, address and registered logo. Two thresholds matter: if the face promotes products or services it becomes advertising, not a signboard; and constructing a signboard or billboard, standalone or attached to a building, with one face of 20 m² or more requires a construction permit under clause 2, Article 31 of the same law. Inside an industrial park, the park’s architecture rules and the developer’s consent also apply.
What is the procedure for a large billboard along a national highway?
Three steps: (1) the location must fall within the locality’s approved outdoor advertising plan; (2) file an advertising-product notification with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Article 29 of the Law on Advertising 16/2012/QH13 before erection; (3) obtain a construction permit for the structure if one face is 20 m² or more, with structural safety appraisal. A billboard inside a road safety corridor or outside the advertising plan will be ordered removed even after completion.
How are sign sizes limited, and what are the rules on foreign-language content?
Article 34 of the Law on Advertising 16/2012/QH13 caps size by sign type and placement (horizontal and vertical signs have different area and height limits); signs must not block fire exits or escape routes and must not encroach on pavements or roadways. On language, Article 18 requires advertising content in Vietnamese (except trademarks, international proper names and other exceptions); where a foreign language is also used, its lettering may not exceed three-quarters of the Vietnamese lettering size and must be placed below the Vietnamese text — a giant English-only logo wall is a classic FDI factory violation.
What are the fines for putting up a sign without permission?
Advertising violations (no notification, wrong content, wrong location) are fined under Decree 87/2026/ND-CP on penalties in culture and advertising, which replaced Decree 38/2021/ND-CP from 15 May 2026. The key technical point is the basis rule in Article 6 of that decree: fine levels in Chapters II and III are set for INDIVIDUALS, and organisations pay double, with an advertising cap of VND 100 million for individuals and VND 200 million for organisations, plus forced removal of the offending structure and content. An unpermitted billboard structure is separately penalised under construction law.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council