Building a booth at a military airport takes careful planning and a clear understanding of the limits. This guide explains the Vietnam Defence Expo booth construction rules and the fines for breaking them. It draws on the organizer’s build guidelines and on Gia Long’s experience at past shows, so you can start your build with confidence.
Standard booth vs raw space booth what is the difference?
Before you read the details, confirm which booth package you rented at Vietnam Defence 2026. The two booth types follow different rules. Use the table below to check each item.
|
Item |
Standard booth (Shell Scheme) |
Raw space booth (Indoor Bare Space) |
|
Design |
Built by the organizer |
Designed by the exhibitor |
|
Extra construction |
Not allowed |
Allowed within the limits |
|
Drawing submission |
Not required |
Approval from the Organizing Committee is required prior to the construction of any exhibition booth at the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2026. |
|
Maximum height |
2.5 m |
5.5 m, including the booth and displayed goods after completion |
|
Back wall |
White back and side walls, 2.5 m high |
Maximum 3 m |
|
Wall next to a neighbor booth |
Not applicable |
Build your own wall. Do not share the neighbor’s wall. If your wall rises above the neighbor booth, finish the back flat with wood or white formex. Do not put a logo, graphic, or ad facing the neighbor |
|
What you receive |
Gray felt carpet. A name board of 0.3 m by 3 m with the company name in English only. Furniture, lights and sockets depend on the size: 12, 24 or 36 sqm |
No ready-made structure |
|
Frame protection |
Do not lean decoration on the frame. Do not paint, nail, screw, hit, or hang items on it. Use double-sided tape only |
Not applicable |
|
Ceiling rigging |
Hanging anything from the hall ceiling is banned |
Rigging from the hall ceiling is banned, so tall structures must stand on the floor |
|
Electricity |
Do not install or change lights or sockets. Rent all electrical items from the official electrical contractor |
An outside contractor may install, but the official electrical contractor must inspect the work |
|
Private air conditioning |
Not stated separately |
Banned in special booths, because the hall has central air conditioning |
Read more: What do businesses need to prepare when joining Vietnam Defence 2026?
Rules for materials, fabrication and floor protection
Many exhibitors overlook these Vietnam Defence Expo booth construction rules during design, yet they most often get in trouble on site. Many of the fines listed later come from this group.
- Prepare before entering the hall: finish all cutting, sawing, chiseling, and spray painting before you bring materials into the hall. Build parts in the workshop so only assembly remains on site.
- Securing floor carpeting: Do not use glue or heavy-duty adhesive tape to secure floor carpeting, as these materials can damage the flooring of the hall.
- Hard items: wrap equipment or materials that have a hard base in rubber or soft material before placing them on the floor.a
- Returning the space: after dismantling, return the floor to its original condition.
Layout and activity rules inside your booth
These rules affect how you plan your demo area and how you attract visitors.
- Stage and audience: the layout must keep all spectators inside your booth. If the crowd blocks the shared aisle or a neighbor’s entrance, the organizer can stop the activity or ask you to change the layout.
- Samples and gifts: only your own staff may hand out gifts, documents, and brochures, and only inside your booth. Handing items out in the shared aisle is banned.
- Sound limit: AV equipment and mobile speakers may not exceed 65 dB, measured 3 m from the booth boundary. You may not connect to the hall’s public address system. A good design tip is to place the sound demo deep inside the booth, away from the aisle.
Read more: 6 Vietnam Defence Expo Booth Design Ideas
Contractor badges, deposits and staff control
Badges decide who can enter the hall, and the two types cannot replace each other.
|
Item |
Contractor badge |
Exhibitor badge |
|
Who gets it |
Contractors and construction workers |
Booth staff |
|
Conditions |
Approved drawings, a refundable deposit, and a management fee |
Free, based on booth size |
|
Use |
Construction work only |
Not valid for contractors or workers |
Build and dismantle schedule for Vietnam Defence 2026
Plan backward from opening day, because every step has a fixed time window.
|
Step |
Time |
|
Raw space booths: lay carpet and build flooring |
From 08:00 on 3 December 2026 |
|
Build raw space booths |
3 to 9 December, 09:00 to 17:00 |
|
Bring hand-carried goods and decorate |
7 to 8 December, 09:00 to 17:00 |
|
Receive standard booths |
8 December, 09:00 to 17:00 |
|
Hall sealed |
20:00 on 9 December |
|
Dismantle standard booths |
13 December, 18:00 to 20:00 |
|
Dismantle raw space booths and return the floor |
14 to 15 December, before 17:00 on 15 December |
On 3 December, raw space booths may only lay carpet and build platforms. The official freight handler brings in heavy equipment. If you need to work outside the allowed hours, ask for approval before 15:00 on the same day. This schedule is a provisional version updated on 31 July 2026, so check it again with the organizer.
Fines for breaking the VNDE booth construction rules
Fines depend on the type of mistake. Each fine is added to the actual repair cost.
|
Type of mistake |
Typical examples |
Fine |
|
Technical error |
A build mistake that causes no serious damage and is fixed quickly |
VND 300,000 to 1,000,000 |
|
Unintentional violation |
Damaging floors or walls with sharp objects, speakers that are too loud, late dismantling |
VND 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 |
|
Intentional violation |
Drilling the floor, using glue or paint, connecting power without approval, using more space than rented |
VND 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 |
Fines are taken directly from the contractor deposit or calculated by the official contractor. If a contractor is warned and still does not fix the problem, the venue management can stop its work.
Required insurance and incident reports
Exhibitors must buy their own all-risk insurance for displayed goods, covering the trip from the country of origin to the show and back. They must also buy public liability insurance. If an incident or loss happens, a verification report must be written within 24 hours to support any claim. For fire safety and electrical safety requirements, confirm directly with the organizer.
Common mistakes that lead to rejected designs or fines
Each point below comes straight from the rules above. Check them before you send your drawings, and you will save time on revisions.
- Back wall above 3 m with no finished rear: any part that rises above the neighbor booth must be finished flat with wood or white formex. Show this finish clearly in your drawings.
- Logo on the back of the wall: graphics facing the neighbor are banned. Put your branding on the side facing your own aisle.
- Ceiling rigging in the design: hanging from the hall ceiling is banned. Use floor-standing structures and keep the total height within 5.5 m.
- Audience spilling into the aisle: spectators must stand inside your booth. Leave enough standing space in your floor plan.
- Self-installed sockets in a standard booth: this is not allowed. Order extra electrical items through the official contractor early.
- Unregistered contractor staff: people who have not been vetted may be refused entry. Send the staff list together with your drawings.
FAQ about Vietnam Defence Expo booth construction rules
Can an outside contractor build my booth?
Yes. The contractor must sign the commitment, have the drawings and staff approved, and then receive a contractor badge.
Can I add lights or decoration to a standard booth?
Not by yourself. You must rent lights and sockets from the official electrical contractor, and you may not paint or nail the frame.
What is the maximum height of a raw space booth?
The total height is 5.5 m, and the back wall can be up to 3 m.
What is the sound limit?
65 dB, measured 3 m from the booth boundary.
How much is the fine for breaking the construction rules?
From VND 300,000 to 5,000,000 depending on the mistake, plus the actual repair cost.
Looking for a booth builder who knows the Vietnam Defence Expo rules?
At a show held on a military airfield, the most important thing to look for in a booth contractor is familiarity with the process: which documents to submit, how staff are registered, and when the team may enter to build. Gia Long is a booth contractor that has built at past editions of the Vietnam International Defence Expo, so we have worked directly with the drawing approval and staff vetting steps described in this article. That experience sits on top of more than 20,000 booths delivered and more than 300 events in Vietnam and abroad.
For the 2026 show, three companies have already chosen Gia Long for exhibition booth design and construction, and production has started. The Gia Long workshop in Hanoi is just over 30 minutes from Gia Lam Airport. If the organizer asks for changes, fixing parts and bringing them back is faster. If you choose our turnkey package, your exhibition booth design in 3D is free.
Build time starts on 3 December. If your booth already has drawings and you need a contractor who builds to the rules, contact Gia Long for advice on your build plan and a booth construction quote before the schedule arrives.
Read more: Exhibition booth design quotation
