Vietnam: Freedom On The Net 2021 Country Report

The internet penetration rate was 68.70 percent by the end of 2019, according to ITU data.1 Mobile broadband has played a significant role in increasing access to faster internet service. As of July 2021, the average mobile download speed stood at 42.46 megabits per second (Mbps) while the upload speed stood at 19.25 Mbps according to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, placing Vietnam at 58th place in a global ranking of 141 countries and territories. The average fixed broadband download speed was 78.43 Mbps and upload speed was 68.38 Mbps, putting Vietnam in 59th place.2 One source estimated smartphone penetration at 61.37 percent as of May 2021.3 Fixed broadband remains a relatively small market segment.

In the first quarter of 2017, VinaPhone became the first provider to roll out a 4G network in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and 11 other provinces.4 By the end of 2019, it covered 100 percent of the population with its 4G signal.5 In April 2019, military-owned mobile service provider Viettel began the first pilot for a 5G network;6 by February 2021, it had over 17,000 registered 5G subscribers.7 Vinaphone and Mobiphone have also joined the 5G market.

Disruptions to the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) in January and February 2021 affected most internet service providers (ISPs) and disrupted service.8 The cables are pivotal for connectivity to the international internet.

• 1Ella Zoe Doan, “Internet user penetration in Vietnam from 2017 to 2023,” Statista, June 5, 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/975063/internet-penetration-rate-in….
• 2“Vietnam's Mobile and Fixed Broadband Internet Speeds,” Speedtest Global Index, accessed July 2021, https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/vietnam.
• 3“Vietnam smartphone use in top 10 globally,” Ministry of Information and Communication of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, June 3, 2021, https://english.mic.gov.vn/Pages/TinTuc/147433/Vietnam-smartphone-use-i…
• 4Thanh Duy and Phuong Nguyen, “Cuộc đua 4G đang nóng tại Việt Nam [The 4G race is heating up in Vietnam,]” Zing News, March 21, 2017, http://news.zing.vn/cuoc-dua-4g-dang-nong-tai-viet-nam-post730022.html.
• 5“Cập nhật các địa điểm đã phủ sóng 4G Vinaphone mới nhất 2020 [Update locations that have 4G coverage to the latest Vinaphone 2020,]” Vinaphone, December 29, 2019, https://dichvu3gvinaphone.vn/cap-nhat-cac-dia-diem-da-phu-song-4g-vinap….
• 6“Sóng di động 5G đã có tại Việt Nam, tốc độ tương đương nhà mạng Mỹ [5G mobile waves already exist in Vietnam, with the same speed as the US carrier],” VietnamNet, April 26, 2019, https://vietnamnet.vn/vn/cong-nghe/vien-thong/song-di-dong-5g-da-co-tai….
• 7Bich Thuy, “Telecom groups get on board with 5G,” May 21, 2021, Vietnam Investment Review, https://www.vir.com.vn/telecom-groups-get-on-board-with-5g-84304.html.
• 8“Broken fiber-optic cable affecting Vietnam’s Internet faces extended maintenance,” Tuoi Tre News, February 16, 2021, https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210216/broken-fiberoptic-cable-af….