Viettel aims to accelerate data growth and 5G services, targeting more than 20,000 5G sites in 2025.
At a press conference on September 4, Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of the National Digital Transformation Agency (Ministry of Science and Technology), said Vietnam’s mobile network speed reached 146.64 Mbps, placing the country in the global top 20.
He added that Vietnam’s fixed broadband speed reached 203.89 Mbps, ranking in the global top 26. As of Q2 2025, 99.3% of villages had mobile broadband, and 5G covered 26% of the population.
According to Ookla’s reports on the world’s fastest 5G networks and fastest mobile networks for Q1–Q2 2025, Viettel is among the three fastest mobile networks globally, while VinaPhone ranks second worldwide for 5G speeds.
Specifically, in the flagship “Fastest Mobile Network” category, Viettel scored 82.56 to rank third globally. The top two were e& (UAE) with 88.05 and Ooredoo (Qatar) with 87.05. Viettel placed ahead of Singtel (Singapore) at 82.53.
In the “Fastest 5G Network” category, VinaPhone ranked second with a score of 78.11, while e& (UAE) led with 81.94.
Ookla’s rankings are based on millions of user-initiated tests via the Speedtest app. The Speed Score is calculated using three factors: download speed (70%), upload speed (20%), and latency (10%).
Ookla determines the “World’s Fastest 5G Network” using Speed Score data from Q1 and Q2 collected from real 5G-connected devices. For the “World’s Fastest Mobile Network,” Ookla aggregates tests from devices using modern chipsets.
To qualify for regional or global awards, an operator must account for at least 3% of samples in its area and must also have won a national Speedtest award in the same period.
Responding to VietNamNet’s question, Nguyen Phong Nha, Deputy Director General of the Department of Telecommunications (Ministry of Science and Technology), said Vietnam’s mobile internet speeds reported by Ookla have risen sharply into the world’s top tier for several reasons.
First, after receiving spectrum licenses, operators expanded 4G and 5G coverage. Second, Vietnam discontinued 2G services, reducing certain data burdens. Third, Vietnam is phasing out 3G, leading to fewer 3G-only terminals. These factors have enabled network upgrades and improved user experience.
Earlier, according to the February report from iSpeed, the official internet measurement platform operated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Viettel led with an average 5G speed of 226.27 Mbps, followed by VinaPhone at 157.17 Mbps. Vietnam’s average 5G speed stood at 187.58 Mbps.
Viettel currently operates more than 6,500 5G base stations, covering the administrative capitals of all 63 provinces and cities, as well as industrial parks, tourist areas, seaports, airports, hospitals, and universities. By the end of January 2025, the operator had about 5.5 million 5G subscribers. Viettel targets a leap in data subscribers and 5G services, aiming for more than 20,000 5G sites in 2025, over 90% population coverage, and 70% of mobile subscribers using 5G.
VinaPhone was the first operator to announce 5G coverage. Just six months after commercial launch, VinaPhone 5G had nearly 4 million users nationwide, with 5G penetration reaching up to 80% among VinaPhone subscribers who own 5G-capable devices.
Thai Khang