SpaceX's Starlink gets nod for satellite internet in Vietnam
Vietnam’s government has approved SpaceX to launch its Starlink satellite internet service in the country, state media reported on Saturday.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has granted Starlink Services Vietnam telecommunications licences covering both fixed and mobile satellite networks. The company has also received authorisation from the Radio Frequency Department to use radio frequencies and operate radio equipment.
The initial deployment will include four gateway stations and up to 600,000 user terminals. The approval allows Starlink to legally build transmission and reception infrastructure in Vietnam without interfering with existing wireless communication systems.
Starlink, which began full commercial operations in 2021, has been in talks with Vietnam since mid-2023, but discussions were reportedly interrupted in late 2023 when it became clear that Vietnamese officials were reluctant to ease the rules on foreign ownership of telecom firms with network infrastructure.
The move follows a pilot licence issued in April 2025 by Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, making Starlink the first foreign company approved to test satellite internet services in Vietnam. SpaceX subsequently established a legal entity in the country before applying for full commercial licences.
Starlink has not yet announced an official rollout date.
The approval comes ahead of an expected visit by Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam, to the United States to attend the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative on global conflicts. The two countries are also in the midst of trade negotiations after Washington imposed 20 per cent tariffs on Vietnamese goods last August.
Vietnamese officials say the service will complement ground-based networks, particularly in remote mountainous and island regions. At a December 2025 press briefing, a representative of the Telecommunications Authority described satellite internet as an important backup channel during storms and floods because it does not rely on terrestrial transmission lines.
Last July, a US senator wrote to Elon Musk to alert him to reports that Starlink terminals were being used by online scamming syndicates based in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Such syndicates have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity. SpaceX subsequently announced that it had cut Starlink satellite communication links to more than 2,500 devices suspected of being used by scam compounds in Myanmar.