AAG undersea cable repairs done before schedule

Vietnam's broadband speed was completely restored at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and currently in stable operation, the ministry has said.

Cable operators had said earlier that maintenance work on the undersea cable would be completed at 11 p.m. on September 11.

On August 16, the Asia America Gateway (AAG) suffered a disruption in the section connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong, about 125 kilometers from the shore off the southern beach town Vung Tau.

Connected in November 2009, the $560-million AAG cable handles more than 60 percent of the country’s international internet traffic. The system is more than 20,000 kilometers (12,420 miles) long, connecting Southeast Asia and the U.S., passing through Brunei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Since its debut, the cable has experienced high risk of rupture and been under frequent repair, affecting all service providers in Vietnam, where more than 60 percent of the population are online.