RT January 9, 2026
A new Vietnamese law allows users to switch off advertisement after just five seconds
Vietnam has introduced legislation that bans unskippable ads on YouTube and other online platforms. The changes, which take effect on February 15, are aimed at tightening controls on online advertising in the Southeast Asian country to protect the public from screen fatigue and illegal promotional content.
Users in numerous countries have increasingly complained in recent weeks about lengthy unskippable ads on YouTube, with some saying they were forced to watch clips lasting an hour or more.
The new amendments to Vietnamese advertising law state that the waiting time before users can skip a video advertisement must not exceed five seconds, while static ads must be immediately cancellable.
It also requires platforms to provide clear, straightforward options for closing ads with a single click and bans misleading or vague close symbols intended to confuse users.
<snip>
When addressed by the media on the issue of increasing complaints over lengthy unskippable ads, YouTube owner Google said it limits them to a maximum of 15 seconds on mobile and 60 seconds on TV. The company blamed extremely long advertising clips on viewers using ad blocking software that under-performs and distorts playback experience.
Continues at link below:
https://www.rt.com/news/630761-youtube-ads-vietnam-unskippable/
Reader comment:
It’s getting worse than that.
Sponsor acknowledgement, a form of advertising controlled by the maker of an inserted video, has got out of hand. Savvy avaricious video posters have caught-on to the existence of blocking attachments to browsers which expunge sponsor adulation; these work alongside blockers for YouTube instigated adverts. Now, some of these people have begun including sponsor worship as an integral part of their video, rather than something made separately and inserted by other means to interrupt the flow.
YouTube video makers, with a sense of decency and good taste, append their sponsor garbage to the end of their stream so that by choice viewers may finish viewing when the rubbish begins. Prolific ‘content creators’ who expect viewers to absorb information about their sponsors’ products during, or at the end, of every video live a greedy fantasy.
Recent Comments