Vietnam Content Rules for Brands — the Living Guide
A living guide to Vietnam's digital content rules for brands: Decrees 237/2026 and 174/2026, what they change for branded content, media partnerships, and reused work — and the checks to run before publishing.
Last updated: July 20, 2026. This is a living guide — we update it whenever Vietnam's content rules change. For the news analysis behind the latest update, read our post on the July 2026 decrees.
What's in force right now
On July 1, 2026, two decrees came into force that directly affect how brands publish online in Vietnam. Decree 237/2026/ND-CP operationalizes the Press Law for the digital age — it draws the boundary between licensed journalism and everything else, including branded content. Decree 174/2026/ND-CP updates the administrative penalties for online conduct, including how brand pages, managed accounts, and websites reuse other people's work.
The three rules that touch brand teams
1. Branded content must not look like journalism
Journalism is a licensed activity reserved for authorized press agencies. Content that imitates professional reporting — investigative-style videos, staged reporting, formal multi-source interviews drawing conclusions on public issues — can attract scrutiny as unlicensed journalism. Branded content should read as commentary, expertise, or clearly commercial content.
2. Consent, not credit, for reused work
Sharing journalistic, literary, or artistic works online without the rights-holder's consent now carries administrative penalties. Crediting the source is not the same as having permission — a "source:" line under a reposted article, photo, or clip does not make it legal.
3. The publisher keeps editorial control in media partnerships
Brands can still partner with Vietnamese media on publications, channels, and broadcast content — but the press agency keeps full responsibility for the final content. Commercial partners cannot take editorial control or present themselves as the outlet's journalists. Press conferences now run on written notification to the authority at least 24 hours ahead, instead of permits.
The pre-publish checklist
- Format check: could a regulator read this piece as news reporting? If yes, reframe it as commentary or clearly commercial content.
- Rights check: for every piece of third-party material — press clippings, music, artwork, footage — is there actual permission on file, not just attribution?
- Partnership check: does the agreement say, in writing, that editorial sign-off stays with the licensed publisher?
- Volume check: who runs these three questions on every post when you ship dozens or hundreds a month? If the answer is "nobody, reliably," that is the gap.
Why this matters beyond Vietnam
Vietnam is following a pattern we track across Southeast Asia: regulators tightening the rules around branded and creator content. The Philippines enforces through FDA advisories against non-compliant cosmetic and health claims. Indonesia's BPOM pulled Rp 31.7 billion of illegal cosmetics in a single 2025 sweep, naming influencer promotion as the main channel. Different regulators, one lesson: content review has to happen before publishing, not after a flag.
DashoContent keeps consumer brands audit-ready at creator scale — every draft checked against brand and market rules before it ships, with the audit trail to prove it. If Vietnam is on your roadmap, the review step belongs in your workflow before your first campaign there.
The same system runs underneath everything
Brand Card
Voice, tone, and rules defined once per brand — the source of truth every draft is measured against.
Content Scorecard
Every draft scored for brand compliance before a human reviews it — catch drift before it ships.
Governed workspaces
One workspace per brand: briefs, drafts, assets, and approvals in a single tracked place.
Approvals that move
A defined brief → draft → review → approve flow, so sign-off takes minutes, not days.
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