New shifts in Vietnam’s Internet landscape

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology and recent international rankings, Vietnam's fixed broadband speeds placed the country in the global top tier as of October 2025, ranking 10th worldwide, while mobile broadband ranked 15th. Following commercialisation, 5G networks now cover 59% of the population, providing a critical foundation for the development of digital economy, digital government, and digital society.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long said Vietnam’s Internet is shifting along five key trends closely tied to development realities. The first shift concerns governance. The sector is moving from a space largely driven by self-regulation among stakeholders toward one governed by clearer institutional framework, laws, and standards, matching its growing societal role.

The second concerns information's role. Vietnam’s Internet is evolving beyond mere content delivery into a powerful force that molds behaviour and directly influences social decisions. Algorithms and AI-driven platforms increasingly guide consumer patterns, public opinion, and personal choices. In response, the recent promulgation of an Artificial Intelligence Law demonstrates Vietnam’s balanced approach that fosters innovation and enforces risk-based controls rooted in ethics, transparency, and human-centric principles.

Next is the data shift. The Internet is moving from fragmented data use toward treating data as a strategic asset demanding responsible stewardship. Digital platforms must balance exploitation for value creation with safeguards for citizens’ rights and national interests, consistent with modern governance norms.

Another pivotal change repositions Vietnam’s Internet from basic connectivity infrastructure to comprehensive digital infrastructure powering the digital economy. It must extend beyond transmission pipes to encompass connectivity, computing power, data, platforms, and security, becoming central to productivity gains, competitiveness, and economic self-reliance.

Finally, development goals are pivoting from sheer expansion toward sustainable, inclusive advancement, with a focus on narrowing digital divides across regions and demographics. Governance is shifting from reactive incident management to proactive, risk-oriented prevention with a long-term horizon.

Developing safe, humane, and trustworthy Internet

Nguyen Truong Giang, Acting Director of the Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, noted that Vietnam’s Internet now faces multiple complex risk groups, including physical infrastructure incidents such as cable disruptions or data centre outages, cyberattacks and routing attacks, resource abuse and surging online fraud.

Sharing a similar view, Vu Hoang Lien, Chairman of the Vietnam Internet Association, stressed that the darker side of technological advances, such as AI and big data, is increasingly being exploited for warfare, psychological manipulation, and illicit profit with growing sophistication. Many victims of online fraud are among Vietnam’s nearly 80 million Internet users.

Vietnam’s forward-looking Internet strategy centres on cultivating a safe, humane, and trustworthy digital environment that supports socio-economic progress, built on trust, fueled by innovation, and underpinned by robust institutional framework. This aligns with the guiding principles of Resolution 57, now concretised through digital transformation and AI legislation, with ongoing enforcement.

To build a safe and sustainable Internet space, Lien underscored digital culture as a core factor. Beyond technical proficiency, it includes awareness, attitudes, and responsible conduct in the online realm. Empowered users who combine access with understanding can safeguard their rights, contribute constructively, and create shared societal value.

From the corporate viewpoint, Nguyen Huu Cuong, Product Manager for Personal Information Security at VNPT Cyber Immunity, said amid increasingly sophisticated online scams and AI-driven attacks, individual users are becoming the most vulnerable group in cyberspace. Risks are amplified for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children, those with limited digital access, and general users.

In response, the VNNIC has adopted technical measures to protect the Internet at its roots. These include Internet resource management, enhanced routing and domain name security, and the deployment of authentication and resource-protection technologies to minimise risks. Broader "Internet cleanup" efforts feature domain protection mechanisms, AI and machine learning for abuse detection and early warnings, and a community reporting system for swift violation identification and response, thus shielding users and enterprises.

Since 2020, Vietnam has achieved a 97% protection rate for its Internet address space. Additionally, 14,000 domain names have been secured to ensure digital identity safety.

Vietnam’s fixed broadband internet speed ranks 13th worldwide

VOV.VN - Vietnam has made great strides in fixed broadband internet speed, placing the country among the fastest globally, and surpassing many developed nations, according to Ookla, a leading US company in measuring and evaluating network connectivity.