Vietnam's 5G subscriptions surge, mobile Internet ranks ninth globally

According to data from the Ministry of Science and Technology on Vietnam's telecommunications infrastructure in the first nine months of 2026, the country's telecommunications sector has made clear progress in connection speeds, the scale of users, and technology modernization.

5G subscriptions surge, mobile Internet speeds rise 45 percent

The most notable development in Vietnam's telecommunications sector this year has been the rapid growth of 5G networks.

Vietnam had just over 14 million 5G subscriptions in September 2025, but the figure had jumped to 27.2 million by August 2026, equivalent to a growth rate of nearly 94 percent.

The rapid expansion of commercial 5G networks has driven a sharp increase in mobile Internet speeds.

As of August 2026, Vietnam's mobile broadband speed reached 219.93 megabits per second (Mbps), up nearly 45 percent from 151.69 Mbps in the same period last year, putting Vietnam in ninth place among 102 countries and territories.

Fixed broadband, or fiber-optic Internet, also grew by around 20.4 percent, reaching an average speed of 301.48 Mbps and ranking eighth globally.

Other key indicators recorded significant progress.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) adoption reached 67 percent, ranking second in Southeast Asia and seventh globally.

The number of national '.vn' domain names exceeded 703,200, up 5.7 percent year on year.

The number of fixed broadband subscriptions reached 24.96 million nationwide.

New impetus for digital economy, society

According to the telecom regulator, having more than 27 million 5G subscriptions is not simply a rise in the number of end-user devices, but also creates a new layer of technological infrastructure for services requiring high speeds and ultra-low latency.

This provides a key foundation for smart factories, digital logistics, the Internet of Things (IoT), telemedicine, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications that process large volumes of data.

Alongside the expansion of 5G, mobile network operators completed the shutdown of 2G technology on September 16, except in specific island areas such as Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos and the DK1 platforms.

The 2G shutdown helps recover valuable frequency bands at 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz for reallocation to 4G and 5G, helping optimize network resources.

The telecommunications sector is also focusing on addressing digital coverage gaps in 273 villages nationwide that still have limited or no mobile signal due to difficult terrain and sparse populations, with the aim of ensuring that all people have equal access to opportunities for digital development.