Vietnam ramps up sea optical cable building to become regional data center

Vietnam aims to have at least 10 new submarine optical cable lines by 2030 to beef up its Internet connectivity as it strives to become a regional data center.

According to a strategy outlined by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) last Friday, the country targets having a total of 15 optical cable systems with a minimum capacity of 350 Terabytes per second (Tbps).

At least two of these will be owned by Vietnam, directly connecting to regional digital hubs.

In addition, at least two more international terrestrial optical cable lines will come online by 2030, ensuring that the total capacity of international terrestrial optical cables makes up at least 15% of the submarine optical cable system's capacity.

According to a roadmap devised for implementing the strategy, by end-2027, Vietnam will have four new cable lines, raising the minimum capacity to 134 Tbps, with at least one controlled by Vietnam. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan will remain main digital hubs for Vietnam.

The remainder of the cable lines will be built between 2028 and 2030, raising the whole capacity to 350 Tbps. As much as 90% of the bandwidth of submarine cable lines will be linked to four digital hubs in Asia and 10% to two digital hubs in the Americas and Europe.

The strategy highlights the importance of Vietnam's international optical cable system as a crucial component of digital infrastructure. It emphasizes building autonomy in establishing, deploying and repairing international fiber optic cable lines to ensure the safety of Vietnam's internet network.

It also aims to fully meet international connectivity needs for development of the digital economy while ensuring national defense and security.

It envisages state-owned companies pioneering deployment of the international fiber optic cables, while encouraging domestic and foreign companies to participate in investment and construction, thereby accelerating development of Vietnam's international fiber optic cable system.

According to the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority under the MIC, besides two land cables with a total capacity of 5 Tbps that connect with Hong Kong and Singapore, Vietnam currently has five international submarine optical cable lines with over 20 Tbps in use and a total available capacity of 34 Tbps.

Over the last few decades, Vietnam has faced frequent Internet disruptions every year due to undersea cable breakdowns. On average, there have been 15 submarine optical cable incidents per year, with repair times ranging from 1-3 months per incident.

There have been times when all the five cable lines have suffered incidents at the same time, resulting in a 60% loss of international Internet connection capacity for nearly two months.

At the moment, three of the five submarine cable lines connecting Vietnam with the world – Intra Asia, Asia Pacific Gateway, and Asia-Africa-Europe-1 – have proved prone to glitches, slowing down internet speed in the country.

Vietnam now has 33 data centers, located mostly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, far below the number in matured markets like China, Hong Kong and Singapore.