When background music becomes a legal question in Vietnam

Sep 9, 2026  |  Knowledge Series

What businesses need to know about commercial music use, copyright and compliance.

Music has long been treated as a minor operational detail in F&B and hospitality. But according to Attorney Le Tien Dat of ADK Vietnam Lawyers, it's actually one of the most underestimated compliance risks in Vietnam today.

As part of a knowledge-sharing collaboration between USEA Vietnam and ADK Vietnam Lawyers, Attorney Le Tien Dat breaks down three issues businesses commonly overlook:

Lê Tiến Đạt (Daniel)

Managing Partner
ADK Vietnam Lawyers

Many businesses feel secure after subscribing to licensed international music platforms. But the terms of these platforms are usually limited to personal use — commercial use in a business setting triggers a separate legal obligation under Vietnamese law.

Before deploying AI-generated tracks, Mr. Dat recommends verifying three factors: whether the tool's licence permits commercial use, how much creative input came from a human, and what training data the AI relied on.

Administrative fines can reach VND 40 million for organisations — not counting retroactive royalty payments and the risk of prolonged disputes, as seen in one real case where a company paid VND 3.3 billion in damages for music copyright infringement.

According to Attorney Le Tien Dat, the right approach isn't to avoid royalty costs, but to treat them as an investment in the commercial value music brings to a brand.