~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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[Year 2002]

Vietnam cracks down on outdoor in Ho Chi Minh City

Authorities in communist-ruled Vietnam's southern commerical capital of Ho Chi Minh City have tightened controls over outdoor advertising in a bid to reign in the mushrooming industry, state media said Thursday. Le Thanh Hai, chairman of the city's People's Committee or local government, said new regulations were intended to "maintain the city's security, safety and planning," the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported. The directive, which was released last week, limits the size of billboards and advertising panels and bans them from being placed on the roofs of buildings, bridges, vehicles and within the city centre.

The regulations come into effect from October 10. Hai said guidelines governing outdoor electronic screen advertising would also be drawn up soon for the city, formerly known as Saigon. The measures have drawn flak from Vietnam's emerging advertising industry. Dao Van Kinh, director of Dat Viet, one of the country's largest agencies, said up to 90 percent of outdoor billboards in bustling metropolis faced being torn down. "Outdoor advertising contributes to the excitement of a city. This decision puts limits on it," he told this week's English-language Vietnam Investment Review.

Last year, around 11 million dollars was spent on outdoor advertisements across the country, with 6.6 million dollars of that being channelled into the southern hub, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Advertising Association.

Agence France Presse - October 3rd, 2002.