Starting February 15, online video advertising in Vietnam will enter a new era. Under Government Decree No. 342/2025, users will no longer be forced to watch non-skippable video ads for more than five seconds. The regulation, recently highlighted by Brice Bonheur, Lead Programmatic Media Trader at Publicis Media, applies to all online video formats and compels platforms, publishers and advertisers to rethink how they design and distribute campaigns.
A regulatory shift focused on user experience
The new framework places the internet user at the center of the advertising ecosystem. Practices long criticized for their intrusiveness—misleading close buttons, forced viewing of 15- to 30-second spots, or unclear exit options—are now explicitly targeted. Platforms will be required to make all skip, close or mute functions clearly visible and immediately accessible.
Compliance will not be optional. Any advertising content deemed non-conforming must be removed within 24 hours, or platforms risk technical blocking measures. The message from regulators is unambiguous: attention can no longer be captured by constraint, only by choice.
Five seconds to convince
For advertisers, the consequences are profound. The first five seconds of a video will effectively become the decisive window. Longer formats will remain possible, but only if viewers actively choose to continue watching. In other words, length is no longer bought—it is earned.
This changes the economics of online video. Creative teams are now under pressure to craft openings that immediately resonate. As Brice Bonheur notes, “attention can’t be forced anymore. It has to be deserved.” The “hook” becomes not just a creative flourish, but the core of campaign performance.
Creative strategies under pressure
The regulation is expected to accelerate several trends already underway in digital advertising. Storytelling will need to be sharper, visuals more instantly engaging, and branding cues introduced earlier. Advertisers may shift budgets toward ultra-short formats, interactive videos or sequential storytelling, where the first exposure is designed purely to spark curiosity.
Performance metrics will also evolve. View-through rates and completion rates will lose relevance if most impressions are technically skippable after five seconds. Instead, advertisers will increasingly measure success through voluntary engagement, qualified attention and downstream actions.
Beyond Vietnam, a possible global signal
While the decree is national, its implications may not remain confined to Vietnam. Regulators in other markets are closely watching how governments balance digital business models with the protection of online experiences. Should similar rules spread, the global online video advertising economy could face another structural reset.
Ironically, formats once considered restrictive—such as six-second bumper ads or even 20-second television spots—may soon feel like a luxury. In Vietnam, the future of video advertising is now clear: either capture interest instantly, or disappear with a click.
