An Giang province focuses on promoting Internet infrastructure to serve digital transformation in all fields. (Photo: VNA)  

The Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is taking drastic actions to modernise the country’s Internet infrastructure in line with the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57 on breakthroughs in science – technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation.

Nguyen Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the centre, highlighted the future of the Internet lies in the industrial Internet, where production lines, industrial robots, and smart sensors are interconnected to optimise the entire manufacturing ecosystem. This is not just a trend but key to transforming the growth model, modernising production, and enabling smart cities and intelligent transport systems.

Such a future requires an Internet that is larger, faster, smarter, and more secure, seamlessly integrating network infrastructure, services, and data such as AI, cloud storage, and a secure domain name system, supported by open standards, international cooperation, and suitable regulations, he stated.

To meet the ultra-low latency and high-reliability demands of the industrial Internet, Vietnam’s digital infrastructure must feature ultra-large capacity, wide bandwidth, energy efficiency, openness, intelligence, and strong security, Giang said, stressing that only IPv6 can fulfil these requirements.

Vietnam launched its IPv6 network in 2013 with six Internet service providers. As of July 2025, its IPv6 adoption rate reached 65.5%, placing the country among the global top 10. Vietnamese users now access IPv6 through mobile broadband (3G/4G/5G) and fibre-optic networks at home and work.

Given the growing number of connected devices—potentially four per person—IPv6-only networks are now considered the optimal solution for the industrial Internet. From 2025 to 2030, Vietnam will expand IPv6-only infrastructure, with nationwide transition planned between 2030 and 2032.

To support this, the VNNIC has launched an Internet data laboratory to share and develop open and specialised Internet resource data, and a new Internet technologies laboratory to trial and support technologies including IPv6-only, digital identity, Internet of Things, and industrial Internet applications.

By 2030, the centre aims for 90% IPv6 adoption and full IPv6-only deployment across government agencies, telecoms service provider, and key digital platforms, targeting a position in the top 20 countries worldwide in the IPv6-only application. It also aims to maintain 99.9999% uptime for national Internet infrastructure and comply with international standards for IoT, industrial Internet, and IPv6-base 5G networks.

The centre looks to remain ASEAN’s leader in “.vn” domain registrations and is striving to place “.vn” among the top 20–30 globally in terms of scale, efficiency, and digital economy integration. It is also advancing Internet resource management while incorporating AI, big data, and open data into systems for monitoring, user support, and domain administration.

Internationally, the centre has been contributing to the formation of international standards for IoT, industrial Internet, and 5G, ensuring Vietnam’s infrastructure aligns with the future Internet model.

One major challenge in industrial Internet development is the creation of appropriate standards and regulations. Hoang Anh Tu, Deputy Director of the MoST’s Department of Science and Technology, noted that his department is formulating policies to support smart manufacturing and the industrial Internet. The focus lies on three standard areas – connectivity (5G and future 6G), data transmission, and industrial automation, all aligned with international benchmarks.

Supporting the national digital transformation agenda, the VNNIC has signed cooperation agreements with over 20 provincial-level departments of information and communications (now departments of science and technology) to jointly develop safe, modern, and sustainable local Internet infrastructure, thus promoting digital transformation and digital economy.

In early August, it signed a cooperation deal with Dong Thap province to enhance Internet resource management and shift the local IT infrastructure to IPv6, including connecting it to the national Internet exchange point. A similar agreement with Dong Nai province supports improvements in e-commerce indicators, digital transformation, innovation, digital infrastructure, and the development of a digital economy and society./.