Internet users will have the chance to soon experience Starlink services provided by SpaceX in Vietnam. (Illustrative image)
Speaking at the inauguration of FPT Telecom’s second data centre in Ho Chi Minh City on August 20, Nguyen Van Khoa, CEO of FPT Corporation, shared updates on the trial rollout of Elon Musk’s low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite telecommunications service in Vietnam.
“Three weeks ago, Starlink was licensed for trial operations. The first two ground stations are located at FPT’s data centre in Tan Thuan (formerly District 7) and at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Ho Chi Minh City,” he revealed.
In mid-July, following the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 659/QĐ-TTg, which allows for controlled pilot deployment of satellite-based telecommunications using low-earth orbit technology, SpaceX began working with the Ministry of Finance on procedures to establish a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in Vietnam.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) would process licensing for commercial operation of LEO satellite telecommunications services in Vietnam once SpaceX completes its enterprise registration.
According to the MOST, under the pilot plan, SpaceX has committed to investing about US$1.4 billion to place orders with Vietnamese companies for the production of Starlink terminal devices, thereby creating new jobs.
During a working visit to the United States in April 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc of Vietnam handed over the decision to pilot the provision of satellite Internet services to Tim Hughes, senior vice president for Global Business and Government Affairs of SpaceX.
Starlink is a global satellite Internet project developed by SpaceX, aiming to provide high-speed, low-latency Internet access to anywhere in the world, especially remote and underserved regions where traditional infrastructure is unavailable.
Last May, Reuters cited sources saying that SpaceX plans to deploy between 10 and 15 ground stations across Vietnam. If approved, this would make Vietnam one of the countries with the largest Starlink ground networks in the region.
Currently, Starlink provides services in over 100 countries and territories, although the exact number of official ground stations worldwide has not yet been widely disclosed.
