Internet connection hit as 2 undersea cables suffer disruption

On Friday morning many users reported problems accessing international websites like slow loading times, extended lag and sudden disconnection. Some even suffered a complete loss of connectivity.

An internet service provider said the AAE-1 undersea cable connecting Vietnam with Hong Kong and Singapore had been repaired after earlier having issues but the APG and IA cables were now experiencing problems.

APG has faults in two branches: S1.9 and S8 connecting Vietnam with Malaysia and Thailand respectively.
Repairs on S8 are expected to be completed between Jan. 6 and 10, but no schedule has been announced for S1.9.

Users experience slow Internet connection. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy

IA has been out of service since Dec. 26, with its S1 segment, connecting Vietnam and Singapore, completely down.

This outage has disrupted Vietnam's connectivity with Hong Kong and Singapore. More than a week later international partners responsible for operating the cable have yet to provide a clear timeline for repairs.

Vietnamese ISPs currently depend on five international undersea cables: AAG, AAE-1, APG, IA, and SMW3.
They collectively have a capacity of 34 Tbps, with over 20 Tbps actively in use.

But the issues with APG and IA at the same time have reduced Vietnam's international internet bandwidth and transmission speeds, impacting users.

On average, Vietnam’s undersea cables have around 15 incidents annually.

In February 2023 all five of Vietnam’s undersea cables were disrupted, cutting international internet capacity by 75%. ISPs had to purchase additional land-based bandwidth to meet users’ basic needs.