Vietnam Market Entry via Creators
Vietnam Creator Marketing Glossary: Air, Sign-Off, Reconciliation, Freecast, GMV
Vietnamese creator quotes, booking sheets and chat messages are full of shorthand that does not translate word for word. A Korean or international team reading a quote may see terms like air, nghiem thu or doi soat and guess. This glossary lists the most common terms in Vietnamese, with an English and Korean equivalent and a one-line operational meaning, so you can read a quote without a translator.
Short answer
What are the key terms in Vietnamese creator marketing?
The terms you will meet most are air (publish a post), nghiem thu (sign-off that the content meets the brief), doi soat (reconciliation of orders and payments), freecast (a free product in exchange for content, no fee), booking (hiring a creator), and GMV (total order value). Know them before you compare quotes.
- Air: the post goes live
- Nghiem thu: sign-off against the brief
- Doi soat: reconciling orders, fees and commission
- Freecast: product only, no creator fee
- GMV vs NMV: gross vs net sales
- Brief: written instructions for the creator
1. Why does a glossary matter for Korean and international teams?
Terms in Vietnamese quotes are often borrowed English, shortened Vietnamese or a mix of both. Two teams can use the same word and mean different things, which causes disputes about deliverables and payment.
Agree on terms in writing before the first booking. This glossary gives a shared starting point, and your contract should still define each term used in the deal.
2. Who is who: KOC, KOL, creator, host
KOL means key opinion leader, a creator with a large audience. KOC means key opinion consumer, a smaller creator who reviews as a customer. Creator is the umbrella term, and host is the person who sells on a livestream.
The labels describe role more than follower count, so always ask for the real audience and past results rather than relying on the title.
- KOL (Korean: 인플루언서 / KOL): large audience, paid post
- KOC (코크): smaller, review-led, often cheaper
- Creator: any content producer
- Host (호스트): livestream presenter
3. Booking, brief and deliverable
Booking means hiring a creator for a defined piece of work. The brief is the written instruction for that work. The deliverable is what the creator must produce, such as one video of a stated length.
A clear brief with deliverables is the best protection against misunderstandings, so put the format, key message and deadline in it.
4. Air: when does the post go live?
Air, from the idea of airing, means publishing the post or video. Air date is the agreed publishing date, and creators often say they will air on a given day.
State the time window too, since a video posted late at night may perform differently from one posted in the evening peak.
- Air date (게시일): publishing date
- Lich air: posting schedule
- Re-air: repost or republish
5. Nghiem thu: what does sign-off mean?
Nghiem thu is acceptance or sign-off, the step where the brand checks that the content meets the brief and agrees the work is delivered. In practice it often triggers payment.
Define what counts as meeting the brief and how many revision rounds are included, so sign-off does not become open-ended.
6. Doi soat: reconciliation
Doi soat means reconciling records: matching orders, commissions and fees between the brand, the platform and the creator or agency. It usually happens at the end of a month or campaign.
Agree the reconciliation date and the data source up front, because platform dashboards and your own order system rarely match exactly.
7. Freecast, seeding and PR box
Freecast usually means a creator receives the product for free and posts without a fee. Product seeding means sending products to many creators hoping some post. A PR box is a presentation package of the product sent to a creator.
Freecast is not guaranteed to produce a post unless the agreement says so, so write down the expectation.
8. GMV, NMV, AOV and commission
GMV is gross merchandise value, the total order value before cancellations and returns. NMV is net merchandise value after those deductions. AOV is average order value. Commission (hoa hong) is the share paid to a creator or affiliate on sales.
Always ask whether a reported figure is GMV or NMV, because the gap between them can be large for categories with many returns.
9. Affiliate, voucher and livestream terms
Affiliate means the creator earns a commission on orders through their link. A voucher is a discount code or coupon. Phien live is a livestream session, and chot don means closing an order.
These terms appear in quotes for livestreams and affiliate programs, so confirm who funds vouchers and what commission rate applies.
10. Metrics: reach, view, engagement, CTR, CPM
Reach is unique people who saw a post, view is a play count, engagement counts likes, comments, shares and saves, CTR is click-through rate, and CPM is cost per thousand impressions.
Ask which metric the quote is based on and how it will be verified, for example with screenshots from the creator account.
11. Contract and payment terms
Deposit (coc) is an upfront payment. Quyet toan is final settlement. Hoa don means invoice, and chung tu is supporting documents. Exclusivity is a limit on working with competitors.
Payments, invoices and tax handling vary by arrangement, so confirm the documents each side needs before paying.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does air mean in Vietnamese influencer marketing?
It means the post goes live. Air date is the agreed date for publishing.
What is nghiem thu?
It is sign-off or acceptance, when the brand confirms the content meets the brief. It often triggers payment.
What does freecast mean?
Usually a free product given in exchange for content with no creator fee. Confirm the expectation in writing.
Is GMV the same as revenue?
No. GMV is the gross value of orders before cancellations and returns, while NMV is the net value after them.
What is doi soat?
It is reconciliation: matching orders, commissions and fees between brand, platform and creator or agency.
