New 700 MHz Spectrum Auctions to Boost Vietnam’s Already Impressive 5G Growth

In July 2025, Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology announced plans to conduct a re-auction of the 703–713/758–768 Megahertz (MHz) (B1-B1′) and 723–733/778–788 MHz (B3-B3′) frequency bands, in a bid to improve 4G and 5G coverage in the country. Initial interest in the 700 MHz frequency band was poor, with an earlier auction attempt in December 2024 failing to attract the interest of Communications Service Providers (CSPs). However, this perspective appears to have changed, with another auction in May 2025 for the 713–723/768–778 MHz (B2-B2′ band) seeing renewed interest in the frequency range. This auction was eventually won by Viettel for around US$76 million (VND 1,995.6 billion).

The above developments all bode well for the country’s 5G ambitions, having earlier lagged behind its regional counterparts, such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, in launching 5G commercial services. However, the signs are leading us to believe that it is only a matter of time before Vietnam catches up to its peers.

While Vietnam is still in the early stages of 5G deployments, initial adoption of 5G technology has been highly positive. For example, Viettel reports that it has accumulated 4 million 5G subscribers within a span of 2 months and has deployed over 6,500 5G base stations. Other Vietnamese CSPs, VNPT and MobiFone, also launched their own 5G services in December 2024 and March 2025, respectively. In terms of 5G technology evolution, both Viettel and MobiFone also started utilizing 5G Standalone (SA) architectures, enabling them to leverage the full range of 5G network capabilities, including Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and network slicing.

Beyond initiatives from the CSPs, the Vietnamese government has also been a strong driving force for 5G adoption in the country,  with the technology being seen as a key enabler for other adjacent technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Securing access to 700 MHz spectrum will be useful for wide area IoT services, as well as for rural end users to access commercial, healthcare, e-commerce, and AI applications. To support local CSPs, the government issued Resolution No. 193/2025/QH15, which includes provisions that the state will support up to 15% of total installation costs on the condition that the CSP deploys a minimum of 20,000 base stations in 2025. Other national objectives include ensuring that all citizens have access to an average Internet speed of more than 100 Mbps by 2025, and also reaching nationwide population 5G coverage by 2030.

From the onset of its 5G journey, Vietnam has embarked on a unique strategy to develop its own strengths and mobile technology know-how for 5G. This approach, while risky, has borne fruit and now places the country in an advantageous position to contribute to and influence the future development of mobile technologies. For example, Viettel has made significant inroads into developing its own 5G networking equipment, covering the full range of 5G infrastructure, including wireless transceivers, switches and routers, core network equipment, 5G chipsets, and even 5G devices (see ABI Insight, “Viettel: A Rising Player from Southeast Asia Looking to Disrupt the Global 5G Ecosystem”). Similarly, the CSP is also a strong advocate for Open Radio Access Network (RAN) technology, having deployed an Open RAN network that is powered by 5G Radio Units (RUs) and Distributed Units (DUs) that were co-developed with Qualcomm (see ABI Insight, “Viettel Bets on Open RAN to Drive 5G Rollout”).

While Vietnam has displayed impressive growth, there is still some way to go before the country can match up to its regional counterparts. Below, ABI Research identifies some recommendations that Vietnam, and other aspiring countries, should consider to support their own respective telecommunications markets:

• Accelerate Innovation Cycles: While significant progress has been made, Vietnamese telecoms industry players need to accelerate innovation cycles. Other Asia-Pacific countries, such as India, Japan, and South Korea, have all been focusing on developing their own 5G technologies, solutions, and equipment. Some of these countries have even begun looking ahead to 6G research and leadership. More investments in research efforts will hence be needed.
• Stronger Public-Partner Collaborations: Governments should consider how they can work with the local CSPs to deploy and develop advanced mobile technologies. Putting in place the right policies and incentives, along with the allocation of appropriate spectrum, will be key to encourage accelerated 5G rollouts and deployment of 5G-Advanced technologies. For example, Thailand had made available spectrum in the 2.1 Gigahertz (GHz) and 2.3 GHz frequency ranges to encourage and facilitate 5G-Advanced implementations.
• Build the Right Global Partnerships: Often, it is difficult for any nation to succeed on its own. 5G and beyond implementations will require knowledge exchange and collaboration between nations and key technology providers. Global collaborations, such as the partnership between Viettel and Qualcomm, will also play a key role in driving innovation and technological breakthroughs.
• Build a Strong Local Ecosystem: A common challenge faced by CSPs around the world is to demonstrate the value that 5G can bring to enterprise operations. Most enterprises are still unaware of the potential benefits and use cases that 5G can enable, thereby hindering adoption. At the same time, CSPs also do not truly understand the pain points and requirements across the different industry verticals. Close partnerships between CSPs and enterprises are key to developing relevant 5G solutions that meet the varied needs of organizations. To this end, Viettel has taken the lead in establishing two 5G laboratories in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that will allow developers to test IoT and 5G use cases. However, more 5G testing facilities and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) will be required to truly drive adoption of 5G industrial use cases.