Starlink Starts €37-a-Month Internet Sales in Vietnam as 600,000-User Trial Stays Under State Control
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Aug 25
Starlink Starts €37-a-Month Internet Sales in Vietnam as 600,000-User Trial Stays Under State Control
1 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Aug 25
Summary
Starlink began taking orders in Vietnam this month, offering residential satellite internet from about €37 a month under a controlled pilot approved by Hanoi in 2025.
600,000 subscribers are the cap through 2030, with service routed via a local SpaceX unit, four licensed domestic gateway stations and Vietnamese regulators rather than an independent parallel network.
Remote islands and mountainous areas are the clearest target because Vietnam already has broad fiber, mobile broadband and 5G coverage, but €284 hardware and rural monthly income of about €259 make household uptake difficult without subsidies.
Vietnam tied the approval to wider trade diplomacy with Washington, as Hanoi sought to ease threatened US measures over its large bilateral trade surplus.
22 out of 100 was Vietnam's 2025 Freedom House internet-freedom score, and new cybersecurity rules requiring user verification, data handovers and 24-hour takedowns suggest Starlink will expand access, not weaken censorship.