Vietnam currently has five undersea cables connecting it to the outside world, however, it has been reported that three of them are currently down. It’s not clear why. The country does also have land based internet connections, however, local media has reported that most of Vietnam’s web traffic uses the undersea cables, though without providing data.
This could not have come at a worse time. Not only is the National Assembly currently in session but there have been reports the Russian president, Vladimir Putin could be in Hanoi as soon as Wednesday. With the eyes of foreign governments and international media likely to fall on Hanoi in the event the Russian leader does make his way to Vietnam, demand for information out of the country is likely to be high.
Furthermore, Vietnam is pushing for greater foreign investment in local data centres. Whereas this may be an attractive option for firms collecting and storing Vietnamese data, these cable problems may limit Vietnam’s ability to provide data storage as an export service.
See also: How to Open a Data Centre in Vietnam: Ultimate Guide 2024