Vietnam has reported 71 million internet users in the country as the nation marked 25 years of internet connectivity while repeating ambitions to become a connectivity powerhouse in Asia.
The southeast Asian nation first connected to the internet in 1997 and has since rolled out connectivity to reach 99.73% of remote villages. There are 94.2 million smartphone users out of which 82.8 million are mobile data subscribers. Vietnam has a population of around 98 million people.
Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre deputy director Tran Thi Thu Hien stated, there are over 564,000 websites with the Vietnamese domain of ‘vn’, making it the second most popular domain in ASEAN and in the top 10 in the Asia-Pacific.
The country is aiming towards developing its digital infrastructure towards tapping into IoT connectivity and 5G, pointing to the former as a means to ensure “sustainable development and safety” of Vietnam’s digital infrastructure, said the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Plans are currently underway to expand regional and international connections and develop subsea cables to turn Vietnam, into a connectivity hub in Asia. The ministry also noted transitioning to IPv6 will boost the country in connecting “more strongly with the global information society.
Delivering connectivity 25 years ago made a “comprehensive change in the daily lives of the people and the country” said deputy minister of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Pham Duc Long.