Responsible when advertising content does not meet requirements
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) has issued a document responding to voters' petitions sent before the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly.
Accordingly, voters reflected that some prestigious artists have recently participated in advertising products on social networks as united goods, causing misunderstanding about the true uses of the product and affecting the health of customers when using them, making people worried;
The Government is requested to direct the relevant agencies to strictly handle violations; have a mechanism to severely punish those who participate in advertising products that exaggerate their uses and cause confusion.
At the same time, check and review the quality of products, especially functional foods advertised on the media and social networks to make people feel secure.
Regarding this content, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that in recent times, the Ministry has focused on implementing many solutions, strengthening inspection, supervision and promptly handling cases of taking advantage of social networks to advertise untrue.
The Ministry has advised the Government to submit to the National Assembly for approval the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2025 Advertising Law (effective from January 1, 2026).
The law has added Article 15a after Article 15 of the 2012 Advertising Law on the Rights and Obligations of Advertising Product Transmitters.
Accordingly, the person who transfers advertising products must comply with the provisions of the law on consumer protection and other provisions of the law.
The reliability of advertisers must be verified; documents related to advertising products, goods and services must be checked.
In case of not using or not understanding the goods, products, and services, the goods, products, and services must not be introduced.
Must be responsible before the law in case the advertising content does not meet the requirements.
In addition, according to the Minister, there must be transparency in advertising activities: publicly announce the implementation of advertising.
At the same time, amend and supplement Article 23 of the 2012 Law on Advertising on Online Advertising. Accordingly, it is required to have solutions to check and monitor advertising content; specify the rights and responsibilities of those who transmit advertising products.
Supplement 1 Article on requirements for advertising content: advertising content must be honest, accurate, and clear; do not cause misunderstanding about the features, quality, uses, and effects of products, goods, and services.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also strengthens inspection and handling of violators. Advertising products are diverse, in many different industries and fields.
Handling artists and celebrities with false advertising
In the past time, the Ministry has actively coordinated closely with relevant ministries and branches to implement an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism to focus on reviewing and handling cases of celebrities, artists, and influential people on the advertising network, participating in advertising that is not in accordance with product quality.
As in the case of Quang Linh Vlogs, Hang Du Cach; BTV Quang Minh, MC Van Hugo, MC Quyen Linh, actor Doan Quoc Dam, MC Hoang Linh.
In the process of developing a decree to amend and supplement a number of articles of Decree 38/2021 regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the field of culture and advertising, the Ministry will coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to study and supplement regulations and sanctions for violations to ensure deterrence and strictness of the law for cases where advertisers violate the law.
For online advertising, especially on cross-border advertising platforms, it is difficult to identify the advertiser, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requires cross-border platforms to proactively scan artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent violating content and advertising accounts.
Strengthen the implementation of training and coaching to disseminate laws to artists and KOLs, especially legal regulations on providing online content, advertising, and tax payment.
Deploy propaganda campaigns to raise awareness and "self-resistance" capacity for people to identify and be vigilant against advertisements with signs of violations and notify competent authorities for handling.
