The Hanoi People's Committee has asked districts and communes across the city to strictly stamp out illegal advertisements that cover many walls.
Under advertising regulations, violators can be fined up to 30 million VND (1,600 USD) or face criminal charges.
At a workshop on Wednesday to review the implementation of the city's new advertising rules, which took effect nine months ago, vice chairwoman Ngo Thi Thanh Hang urged agencies to finish the work before August 30.
She said this would contribute to cleaning up the capital ahead of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.
During the past nine months, nearly 90 per cent of illegal advertisements along streets and about 60-70 per cent of advertisements in alleys were removed or painted over, reported the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Inspectors had punished 26 companies for violating advertising regulations with a total fine of 135 million VND (7,100 USD).
They forced violators to dismount eight advertising boards and down-scale the sizes of another 14.
However, department deputy director Nguyen Duc Hoa said it was difficult to completely rub out illegal advertisements as people kept offending.
"After an advertisement is rubbed off, it will soon be replaced by another, particularly at telephone boxes," he said.
"Lack of inspectors and time also hindered the work," he added.
A representative from the department of information and telecommunications said nearly 900 telephone subscribers were caught violating advertising regulations, but only a few of them had their phones cut off.
To control advertising activities more effectively, vice chairwoman Hang said there was a need to raise public awareness through the media.
For a long-term solution, districts and communes should build free advertising places in line with the regulation, she said.
To this end, the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved 107 places to install advertisement boards freely in Ba Dinh, Long Bien, Hai Ba Trung and Dong Da districts on a trial basis./.
Under advertising regulations, violators can be fined up to 30 million VND (1,600 USD) or face criminal charges.
At a workshop on Wednesday to review the implementation of the city's new advertising rules, which took effect nine months ago, vice chairwoman Ngo Thi Thanh Hang urged agencies to finish the work before August 30.
She said this would contribute to cleaning up the capital ahead of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.
During the past nine months, nearly 90 per cent of illegal advertisements along streets and about 60-70 per cent of advertisements in alleys were removed or painted over, reported the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Inspectors had punished 26 companies for violating advertising regulations with a total fine of 135 million VND (7,100 USD).
They forced violators to dismount eight advertising boards and down-scale the sizes of another 14.
However, department deputy director Nguyen Duc Hoa said it was difficult to completely rub out illegal advertisements as people kept offending.
"After an advertisement is rubbed off, it will soon be replaced by another, particularly at telephone boxes," he said.
"Lack of inspectors and time also hindered the work," he added.
A representative from the department of information and telecommunications said nearly 900 telephone subscribers were caught violating advertising regulations, but only a few of them had their phones cut off.
To control advertising activities more effectively, vice chairwoman Hang said there was a need to raise public awareness through the media.
For a long-term solution, districts and communes should build free advertising places in line with the regulation, she said.
To this end, the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved 107 places to install advertisement boards freely in Ba Dinh, Long Bien, Hai Ba Trung and Dong Da districts on a trial basis./.
