Vietnam ranks among world’s fastest countries in 5G rollout

Developed economies generally take two to three years to provide 5G access to around 80% of their populations, said Nguyen Anh Cuong, deputy director of the Telecommunications Authority, during a Ministry of Science and Technology press conference on July 31

Although Vietnam was not among the earliest countries to introduce the technology, it expanded coverage to 92% in just over a year, highlighting its ability to rapidly build, optimize and operate advanced telecommunications infrastructure.

Domestic telecom companies have also successfully mastered, manufactured, and commercialized 5G equipment matching international standards.

Of the more than 40,000 active 5G stations, around 2,500 were produced domestically, a ratio operators plan to expand significantly in the coming years.

Nguyen Anh Cuong, Deputy Director of the Telecommunications Authority, speaks at the Ministry of Science and Technology press conference on July 31, 2026. Photo by Trong Dat

Cuong said telecom technology research is rarely done in isolation since it demands global coordination and integration across international networks to ensure seamless, worldwide connectivity.

Global research and standardization are spearheaded by international bodies like the International Telecommunication Union and 3GPP.

To prepare for 6G, the Ministry of Science and Technology established a dedicated 6G Steering Committee comprising regulatory officials, frequency managers, telecom executives, and academic researchers.

The committee provides Vietnamese enterprises and universities early access to 6G frameworks right as international standards begin taking shape.

This head start would allow local institutions to contribute to global standards and proactively tailor 6G deployments to domestic needs.

Highlighting Vietnam's accelerating learning curve, Cuong said mastering 4G equipment took over eight years from the moment the technology was standardized, but leveraging lessons learned from that, the 5G timeline shrank to under two years.

Looking ahead to 6G, the Telecommunications Authority expects Vietnam to further compress development cycles, mastering and deploying 6G infrastructure even faster.

Engineers test a 5G base station developed in Vietnam. Photo by Trong Dat

Reflecting on the 5G rollout strategy, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Khuong, a researcher at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told VnExpress that the rapid expansion stems from a deliberate "smart follower" approach.

In the initial rollout phase, a single 5G base station cost US$50,000. Aiming to be an early adopter would have proven prohibitively expensive, and Vietnam waited until the technology matured, entering the market when base station costs dropped to $30,000, he said.

By playing the role of a smart follower, the country significantly reduced capital expenditure while retaining the ability to scale up rapidly, he said.

But Vietnam still lacks commercial 5G application models capable of driving direct economic growth, he pointed out.

Beyond tracking the coverage area and base station count, he suggested measuring 5G progress through the adoption of private 5G networks, referring to dedicated, real-time connectivity systems tailored for industrial and enterprise use.