There are currently problems with the five international submarine cable lines connecting Vietnam. This has affected Vietnam's connection speed to the international internet. The need for more fiber optic lines in Vietnam has become even more urgent with the current situation of more and more frequent incidents on submarine cables..
Currently, There are five submarine cable routes connecting Vietnam with the rest of the world: AAG (Asia-America), APG (Pacific Asia), SMW-3 (Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe), IA (Asian Alliance) and AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Europe).
There is also a shorter line, the TVH, of only 3.367 km long, connecting Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong (China). In addition to underwater optical fibers, There are several land fiber optic lines connecting Vietnam to the world. Nevertheless, Most of the Internet connection traffic from Vietnam to the international arena is transmitted through submarine fiber optic lines.
According to Vietnamese Internet Service Provider, in the morning of 21 February, the SMW-3 submarine fiber optic cable (Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe) experienced a cable connection problem near Singapore. The other four fiber optic lines connecting to Vietnam have also failed and have not been repaired.. As a result, all five Vietnam to international submarine cable lines have had problems so far.
Nguyen Hong Thanh, Director General of the Telecommunications Department of the Ministry of Communications of Vietnam, declared: “After the international submarine cable incident, The Ministry of Communications has created a steering committee to coordinate the implementation of corrective measures. In addition to the technical measures, The telecommunications sector has also cut corners to quickly open up more terrestrial connection capacity., in order to guarantee service and benefits for users.
According to the person in charge of the Ministry of Telecommunications, if we consider the positive side, We also see an opportunity for Vietnam to become a base station hub when the submarine line linking Hong Kong and Singapore faces many difficulties. To solve the long-term connectivity problem, Vietnam needs new cables and invest in the development of more communication lines underwater.
The Minister of Information and Communication, Nguyen Manh Hung, underlined the need to ensure Vietnam's international Internet connection by meeting with telecommunications companies to seek solutions. It is important not only to guarantee the quality of the services provided to users, but also to help seamlessly connect economic activities on the Internet.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung also tasked the Ministry of Telecommunications to collaborate with telecommunications companies to develop a plan for Vietnam's submarine cable routes.. At the same time, The construction of more internationally connected submarine fiber optic cable routes must be accelerated to ensure that telecom operators play a prominent and leading role in Vietnam.
In any option, Vietnamese companies should play a leading role in building new lines of communication on behalf of investment groups and joint ventures. The objective is for Vietnam to have 10 international submarine cable lines in 2025.
Vu The Binh, Vice President of the Vietnam Internet Association, estimates that Vietnam will need at least 2-3 new submarine fiber optic cables in the next 5 years to meet domestic demand. If Vietnam wants to become a nerve center in the region like Hong Kong and Singapore, you will need more underwater network connections.