Vietnam bans unskippable ads

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scope of the Vietnamese Rule

  • Applies to online video ads: a visible skip/close control must appear after 5 seconds.
  • Separate clauses restrict ads that harm “national security” or insult state symbols and leaders; some see this as the real political motive, others as just standard boilerplate.
  • TV is regulated differently: there are already caps on ad minutes per hour and rules on interrupting news or films.

Predicted Platform & Market Reactions

  • Many expect platforms (especially YouTube and mobile games) to respond with:
    • More frequent, shorter ads (e.g., chains of 5‑second skippables).
    • Longer sequences of rewarded ads where you must watch multiple 5‑second units to get in‑game rewards.
  • Some think this could push down CPMs and total ad revenue, leading to less “free” content or more paywalls; others say there is already an oversupply of low‑quality “content”.
  • A few suggest big platforms might simply scale back or exit Vietnam, given relatively low ad prices there.

User Experience & Dark Patterns

  • Extensive complaints about:
    • Tiny or fake close buttons, moving UIs, layout shifts that cause accidental clicks.
    • “Interactive” ads that force you to play a mini‑game before closing.
    • Progress bars that start fast then slow down, or 20+ minute “ads” masquerading as news or full shows.
  • Several argue skip behavior should be standardized and enforced at the platform level, not per‑advertiser.

Ethics and Economics of Advertising

  • Large sub‑thread on whether the world would be better without ads:
    • One camp: ads are psychological manipulation, manufacture fake needs, distort competition toward whoever buys the most attention, and act as a regressive “attention tax”.
    • Other camp: some advertising is genuine information and discovery (new products, local services, small businesses); without any ads, market entry and consumer choice would suffer.
  • Debate over alternatives: catalogs/directories, word‑of‑mouth, reviews, government or neutral “product directories”.
  • Disagreement on whether such systems can ever be truly non‑pay‑to‑play or “level”.

Adblocking, Subscriptions, and Creators

  • Many describe living essentially ad‑free via uBlock Origin, Pi‑hole/NextDNS, AdGuard, YouTube front‑ends, and SponsorBlock.
  • Counter‑arguments:
    • Adblocking removes funding from creators and ad‑supported services, potentially reducing what’s available for people who can’t pay.
    • Others reply that current ad‑funded giants are wildly profitable, and that users are justified in protecting privacy and attention.

Children, Mobile Games, and Regulation

  • Parents report mobile games with 30–60 second unskippable interstitials after every level, manipulative “IQ test” mini‑ads, and post‑purchase changes that push further IAPs.
  • Vietnam’s rule is welcomed as a small protection; some call for stronger global regulation, especially around children’s apps and scammy/fake products.