Introduction: Why running Facebook Ads in Vietnam is easy to “burn money”?
Facebook remains the leading advertising channel in Vietnam with over 70 million monthly active users. However, many SMEs spend heavily without achieving desired results. According to the We Are Social Digital 2023 report, Facebook advertising costs in Vietnam increased 25% compared to the previous year.
This article analyzes 7 mistakes rarely shared by experts, based on real-world experience from over 5,400 campaigns at DPS.MEDIA since 2017. You will learn how to identify and fix each specific issue.
1. Ignoring the specifics of Vietnamese user behavior
Misunderstanding the online time of target customers
Many advertisers run ads during international peak hours (8-10 AM) instead of Vietnam hours (7-10 PM). Vietnamese people often browse Facebook after work, especially on weekends. This leads to low CTR and CPA twice as high.
Real example: ABC cosmetics campaign ran ads during US hours in March 2023, burned 150 million VND in 7 days for only 200 orders. After switching to 7-11 PM slot, same budget achieved 850 orders.
Not taking into account local cultural factors
English copy or Western images not suitable for Vietnamese psychology. Local customers prefer relatable content with community elements. Facebook IQ 2022 report shows ads with local elements increase conversion rate 47% in Southeast Asia.
Most successful ads in Vietnam often use family images, local festivals – Facebook IQ 2022
Checklist for checking user behavior:
- Determine peak online hours via Facebook Insights
- Analyze Audience Insights by age, gender in Vietnam
- Test A/B testing 3 different time slots over 3 days
- Check interaction rate by day of the week
- If CPA is over 30% higher than benchmark, adjust immediately
2. Targeting the wrong audience – The most expensive mistake
Targeting too broadly instead of quality Lookalike
Targeting “Men 25-45, Ho Chi Minh City” for premium products only achieved 0.8% conversion rate. Lookalike audience from high-quality old customers is 3-5 times better. Many businesses skip this to save time.
Case study Highlands Coffee 2021: Broad target 2 million people, ROAS only 1.2x. Switched to Lookalike 1% from 50,000 VIP customers, ROAS increased to 4.8x in 30 days.
Confusing Interest Targeting with shopping behavior
Interest “likes coffee” does not mean ready to spend 100k+/cup. Need to target behaviors: “Shopping”, “Engaged Shopper” combined with interest. This mistake is common with F&B and fashion.
Comparison table of targeting methods:
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Targeting | Quick reach, easy to scale | Low quality, high CPA | Brand awareness |
| Interest Targeting | Easy setup, low cost | Low accuracy | Mass-market product |
| Lookalike 11% | High quality, good ROAS | Need old customer data, slow scale | Premium product |
| Custom Audience | Absolutely accurate | Small scale | Retargeting |
3. Creative not optimized for Facebook algorithm
Using single image instead of carousel/video
Single image only achieves average CTR 0.91%, while carousel reaches 1.81% and video 2.31% according to the Socialbakers 2023 report. Facebook algorithm prioritizes diverse content, keeping users longer.
Example Shopee VN Q4/2022: Shifted 701% budget to video ads, increasing ROAS from 2.1x to 5.2x in 45 days.
Text overlay over 20% of image area
Facebook reduces reach 601% with ads having text overlay >201%. Many businesses still use PSD templates with large text to “play it safe”. Free Facebook Text Overlay Tool makes checking easy.
Creative optimization checklist:
- Check text overlay under 201% using Facebook tool
- Create at least 3 carousel versions per product
- Video under 15 seconds, with clear text subtitles
- Test user-generated content
- Measure Time Spent on each creative
