It is not mandatory for business households to hang signs.
According to Decree 168/2025/ND-CP on business registration, the law stipulates the name of business households, headquarters and business location, but does not set out separate regulations requiring business households to attach signs showing names and addresses at headquarters or business locations.
Therefore, if hanging signs is only to help customers identify business household names, addresses or operating locations, this is not a mandatory obligation arising from regulations on business household registration.
However, when business households have hung signs, they must comply with regulations on content, size, writing and placement of signs according to the law on advertising.
Specifically, Article 34 of the Advertising Law stipulates that signs must show the name of the directly managing agency if any; the name of the production and business establishment in accordance with the business registration certificate; address and phone number.
For horizontal signs, the maximum height is 2m, the length does not exceed the horizontal height of the house facade. For vertical signs, the maximum height is 1m, the maximum height is 4m but must not exceed the height of the floor where the sign is placed.
Signs are also not allowed to cover escape and fire fighting spaces; do not encroach on sidewalks, roads or affect public transport.
Business households may be fined up to 20 million VND
From May 15, 2026, Decree 87/2026/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in the field of culture and advertising takes effect. Article 67 of the decree specifically stipulates the levels of penalties for violations of signs.
Accordingly, a fine of 5-10 million VND is applied to acts that do not fully display on signboards the contents as prescribed such as the name of the production and business establishment in accordance with the business household registration certificate, address, phone number or use signboards with sizes not in accordance with regulations.
Fines ranging from 10-15 million VND are applied to some acts such as writing incorrectly or incompletely names in Vietnamese; writing only in foreign languages without Vietnamese characters; placing foreign names in foreign languages above Vietnamese names; foreign characters with a size that is too large compared to Vietnamese characters; or the vertical sign height exceeding the floor height of the building where the sign is placed.
Higher fines, from 15-20 million VND, are applied if hanging, erecting, placing, or attaching signs to shield escape and fire fighting spaces; encroaching on sidewalks and roadways, affecting public transport or unsightly.
In addition to fines, violators are also forced to remove signs for the above acts.
Notably, Article 6 of Decree 87/2026/ND-CP stipulates that the penalties in Article 67 are penalties applicable to individuals. For the same violation, the penalty for organizations is 2 times the penalty for individuals.
