Review sender setup and list handling, then build an initial local-language nurture sequence.
Research, channel development and digital marketing support
In October 2025, internet penetration stood at 84.2 percent of the population in Vietnam, 94.7 percent in Thailand and 80.5 percent in Indonesia, according to DataReportal. Reaching those audiences by email depends on authenticated sending, a documented consent basis for every contact and messages written for the local reader, and a global team’s templates rarely satisfy all three in a new market. The Email Marketing Starter sets up those foundations and an initial local-language nurture sequence inside the platform you already use.
Three problems appear again and again when global email programmes are reused unchanged in Southeast Asia.
Deliverability depends on setup that happens before any message is written. Mailbox providers expect senders to authenticate their domains, and Google publishes specific guidelines for anyone sending to Gmail accounts. Misconfigured SPF, DKIM or DMARC records are a common reason well-written emails underperform, and they are easy to overlook when a new market is added to an existing platform.
Consent rules differ by market, and a list that is acceptable in one country may not be usable in another. Vietnam has a specific anti-spam decree with its own consent and labelling rules, Thailand combines the consent requirements of its Personal Data Protection Act with the opt-out rules for commercial email under its Computer Crime Act, and Indonesia combines its electronic transactions law with its personal data protection law. Reusing a home-market list-building approach unchanged is a common and avoidable compliance gap.
A literally translated sequence reads as a translation. Buyers notice unnatural phrasing, a tone that does not match local business conventions and references that only make sense in the home market. Writing the sequence directly in the target language, for the buyer’s stage in the funnel, gives the message a fair chance of being read and acted on.
The Starter works inside your existing email platform wherever it can support the language, unsubscribe flow and audience rules required, so there is no migration to manage. The handover explains the setup and the structure of the sequence, so your team can build further sequences on the same foundations.
The platform stays the same. What changes by market is the consent basis, the labelling and opt-out rules, and the language of the sequence.
We review the platform and sending domain, including SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication and relevant mailbox-provider requirements such as Google’s sender guidelines. Authorised DNS changes are coordinated with the domain owner, and any dependencies outside the platform are recorded.
We review how the intended audience was collected, what uses it permits and how unsubscribes and suppressions are handled. Segments without a documented consent basis are identified for re-permission or further review before use, rather than being included and fixed later.
We agree the audience, purpose, message count and language for an initial nurture sequence matched to the buyer’s funnel stage. The approved copy, written directly in the target language, is built in the selected platform with any labelling and opt-out requirements for the market built into the template.
We check links, rendering and unsubscribe behaviour using agreed test recipients, and confirm that the relevant market rules have been applied. The setup and the approval path for sending are documented, so your team knows who approves each send after the starter work.
Each market page sets out the local context, the checks that matter there and what to prepare before the work begins.
Review sender setup and list handling, then build an initial local-language nurture sequence. Focused on Vietnam.
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Review sender setup and list handling, then build an initial local-language nurture sequence. Focused on Thailand.
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Review sender setup and list handling, then build an initial local-language nurture sequence. Focused on Indonesia.
Explore the serviceThese are the requirements the list review and sequence build are designed around.
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| Dimension | Vietnam | Thailand | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial email rules | Decree 91/2020/ND-CP on spam messages, emails and calls sets specific rules for advertising email, alongside the Personal Data Protection Law in force since 1 January 2026. | Section 11 of the Computer Crime Act, as amended in 2017, and its ministerial notification require commercial email to offer a quick way to unsubscribe. The consent requirements of the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 apply, and the PDPC has been actively enforcing the law. | The Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) and Law No. 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection (UU PDP) both apply to commercial email. |
| Consent basis for the list | Prior consent must be evidenced through one of the mechanisms the decree defines, such as a confirmed sign-up form or a subscription request from the recipient. | Consent must be explicit, given in writing or electronically, and clearly separate from other terms rather than buried in general conditions. | A lawful basis and transparency are required for commercial use of personal data, and where consent is the basis, the request for consent must use Bahasa Indonesia. |
| Labelling and opt-out | Advertising emails must carry the label the decree requires at the start of the subject line, and a working opt-out must be honoured promptly. | Commercial email must give recipients a quick way to unsubscribe under the Computer Crime Act rules, and objections to direct marketing must be honoured under the PDPA. | Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and processing must then stop within 3 x 24 hours, so every message needs a working unsubscribe that is honoured. |
The engagement letter confirms the final deliverables and level of detail.
The current sender configuration, the authentication and platform changes recommended or made, and any outstanding dependencies such as DNS changes waiting on the domain owner. The findings explain why each item matters for delivery and who is responsible for it.
The approved copy for the initial nurture sequence, written in the target language and built in your platform for the selected audience, with market-specific labelling and unsubscribe handling applied. Test results for links, rendering and opt-out behaviour are included.
The audience rules, suppression handling, testing results and approval path for future sends, together with the structure and rationale of the sequence. Your team can use the notes to maintain the setup and build further sequences in the same way.
The consent history of the list usually decides how much can be done straight away.
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| Input | What to include |
|---|---|
| Platform and domain | The email platform, domain owner and authorised access. |
| Audience provenance | How contacts were collected, permitted uses and suppression records. |
| Content brief | Offer, funnel stage, language, brand guidance and approver. |
Platform migrations, purchased-list acquisition, ongoing campaign management and additional sequences are separate work. A prepared sequence is not authorisation to send it.
If parts of the list lack a documented consent basis, the Starter identifies them and recommends a re-permission step before they are used. Purchased or scraped lists are not used to build a sequence, because they rarely carry a consent record that covers your marketing in any of the three markets.
Additional sequences, broader copy localisation for websites or brochures, and ongoing campaign management can follow once the foundations are in place. They are scoped separately, using the audience rules and sequence structure documented at handover.
Engagements from Viettonkin’s published case studies. Each card states where the work took place and summarises what we did; the case itself gives the full context.
Practical answers for planning your marketing brief.
No. Authentication supports delivery, but recipient engagement, complaints, reputation and mailbox-provider decisions also matter.
The starting point is the client’s existing platform. Feasibility and any required changes are assessed during scoping.
A purchased or scraped list rarely carries a consent record that covers your marketing and should not be used. An inherited list can be reviewed: segments with a documented consent basis may be usable, and the rest need re-permission first.
They are agreed after reviewing the market, scope, source material, access requirements and delivery responsibilities.
Share your target market, business objective and current setup. We will agree the deliverables, responsibilities and next step.
