Hanoi, August 17, 2026 — The Europe Today: Vietnam is accelerating preparations for the development and future deployment of 6G telecommunications technology, aiming to reduce the time required to research, master and commercialise the next generation of mobile networks by building on its experience with 4G and 5G.
Nguyễn Anh Cương, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority, said the country had made significant progress in deploying 5G infrastructure while gradually laying the groundwork for 6G research and development.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has established a steering committee for 6G research and development, with the objective of enabling Vietnam to participate in international technology and standard-setting activities from an early stage, master key technologies and prepare a 6G deployment strategy suited to the country’s specific conditions.
Cương emphasised that 6G is a global technology requiring close cooperation among countries, businesses and international standards organisations to ensure interoperability and compatibility of telecommunications infrastructure worldwide.
He noted that Vietnam had taken more than eight years to master 4G technology and manufacture related equipment after the establishment of 4G standards. With 5G, the period was reduced to approximately two years, demonstrating the country’s growing technological capabilities.
By early 2026, Vietnam had deployed more than 40,000 5G base stations, providing coverage to around 90 per cent of the population. Approximately 250 of these stations were based on equipment designed, manufactured and deployed by Vietnamese companies.
Vietnam plans to further expand the use of domestically manufactured telecommunications equipment while increasing the proportion of infrastructure products and technologies researched and developed within the country.
Viettel, Vietnam’s military-run telecommunications and technology group, has also taken a significant step towards 6G development by becoming the first global partner to join Qualcomm Technologies’ 6G Early Access Program. Under the programme, the two sides aim to conduct the first pre-commercial 6G call in early 2029 using systems and equipment developed and manufactured by Viettel.
As part of its broader digital infrastructure development strategy, Vietnam aims to provide 100 per cent of its population with access to fibre-optic networks offering speeds of at least 1Gbps by 2030.
The country also targets 5G coverage for 99 per cent of its population and plans to establish the necessary technological and infrastructure capabilities to conduct trials of 6G networks.
The accelerated preparations underscore Vietnam’s ambition to strengthen domestic telecommunications capabilities, increase technological self-reliance and position the country to participate more actively in the global development of next-generation communications technologies.
