Submarine cable fault hits Vietnam international Internet capacity

The fault occurred during the Lunar New Year holidays in mid-February and remained unrepaired, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Authority of Telecommunications.

The telecom regulator said the incident did not significantly affect Internet and communications services for domestic users. The lost capacity accounts for nearly 10% of Vietnam’s total international Internet bandwidth. Regulators said the reduction was minor overall and insufficient to create an imbalance between bandwidth supply and demand.

Telecom operators also said there is substantial reserve capacity. According to the telecommunications authority, operators immediately activated contingency plans, rerouting traffic to other submarine cables and alternative connections. Domestic carriers and international partners coordinated promptly, with no localized service outages reported.

Network cables connected to a router. Illustration by Pexels

Vietnam’s international connectivity infrastructure has expanded in recent years. Internet users primarily connect globally through three routes: submarine cables, terrestrial fiber links and satellite Internet, with submarine cables playing the dominant role.

Vietnam has six submarine cable systems: AAG, IA, AAE1, APG, ADC, and SJC2. Since 2022 Vietnam’s international submarine cable systems have recorded nearly 40 incidents. At times, four of the cables have experienced issues at the same time.

The AAE1 cable, operational since July 2017, links Vietnam with Europe and the Middle East and provides backup capacity to Hong Kong and Singapore.