Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reports that while 6G networks are still in the research and development stage, 5G, as the mainstream internet infrastructure, continues to expand its coverage. In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, various units and enterprises are taking multiple measures to deeply explore the application value of 5G, focusing on empowering the high-quality development of smart cities and smart industries.
Vietnam's 5G tariffs are affordable, with monthly packages ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of VND, fully meeting users' daily work and entertainment internet needs. According to statistics from the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology, by the end of 2025, the national 4G network coverage rate exceeded 99.8%, and the 5G coverage rate exceeded 91%.
Operators are steadily advancing their 5G deployment. The Vietnamese military telecommunications and military group (Viettel) is leading the country, having already built 30,000 5G base stations; 23,500 more were added in 2025, and another 15,000 are planned for deployment in 2026. Viettel Telecom's Deputy General Manager, Nguyen Ha Thanh, stated that the company's 5G outdoor coverage reaches 90%, and indoor coverage reaches 70%. VNPT Group has committed to achieving 5G signal coverage for 55%-60% of the population by 2026 and will begin testing network slicing technology and network application programming interfaces (APIs) starting in September 2025.
To leverage 5G to empower economic and social development, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee recently issued the "Ho Chi Minh City 5G Mobile Communication Network Base Station and IoT Infrastructure Development Plan (2025-2027)," which clearly prioritizes increasing investment in 5G coverage in the city center, public administrative areas, high-tech parks, information technology hubs, industrial zones, densely populated areas, and public areas such as stations, seaports, airports, and public transportation systems.
The city has set clear development goals: to achieve 5G service coverage of over 90% of the population, with 5G mobile broadband download speeds reaching 100-500 Mbit/s; and to leverage the 5G network to implement IoT solutions, integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to fully promote the construction of smart industry and smart city.
In early February 2026, Viettel Ho Chi Minh City, in conjunction with the city's Export Processing Zones and Industrial Zones Management Committee, launched a 5G Deployment and Digital Transformation Week in five key industrial zones. Based on the strategic cooperation agreement signed by both parties on September 25, 2025, the goal of this event is to achieve full 5G signal coverage in industrial zones by 2026 and create a synchronously modernized digital industrial zone model.
Focusing on digital transformation and the implementation of 5G applications, the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing Zones and Industrial Zones Management Committee is promoting the construction of digital industrial zone models and centralized command centers, encouraging secondary enterprises to deploy digital transformation solutions, and providing digital services and consulting on life and work technology applications to workers in the industrial zones.
Le Van Dinh, Deputy Director of the Industrial Zone Management Committee, stated that the digital transformation of the industrial zone is a core measure to improve management efficiency, optimize the investment environment, and enhance enterprise competitiveness. The deep integration of 5G deployment and the digital ecosystem will propel Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding export processing zones and industrial parks into a new stage of development, building a modern, transparent, and sustainable production environment. (End)
