Starlink has opened satellite-internet orders in Vietnam. Residential plans start at 1.13 million dong a month, while standard hardware costs 8.66 million dong. Business plans begin at 1.48 million dong monthly. Vietnam is now Starlink’s sixth Southeast Asian market. The launch matters most outside the country’s strongest fibre and mobile corridors, where mountains, islands, sparse populations and difficult terrain make conventional networks expensive to extend. Reuters confirmed orders opened on August 13, 2026, while Starlink announced availability through its official X account.
Starlink Vietnam Orders Open After A Long Regulatory Runway
The commercial opening follows more than a year of policy work. Vietnam approved a Starlink trial in March 2025 and temporarily waived foreign-ownership limits for the service. The programme can run through the end of 2030 and is capped at 600,000 subscribers.
In February 2026, the Ministry of Science and Technology granted the local unit licences for fixed and mobile satellite internet, along with radio-frequency permissions. Vietnam has also authorised four Starlink gateway stations. VnExpress reported one site in Phu Tho, one in Da Nang and two in Ho Chi Minh City, giving the network terrestrial gateways across the north, centre and south.
The rollout arrives when Vietnam’s terrestrial internet is already strong. The government said in July that 5G coverage had reached about 92% of the population, while mobile broadband speeds reached 210.85 Mbps. Starlink is therefore unlikely to replace fibre or 5G in dense urban districts. Its stronger role is filling geographic gaps and adding an alternative connection where ground networks are difficult to build or vulnerable to disruption.
Which Parts Of Vietnam Could Gain The Most From Starlink?
The strongest opportunity is not central Hanoi or downtown Ho Chi Minh City. It is places where tower economics and physical access remain difficult. Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology has repeatedly targeted remote villages and hamlets for broadband expansion, while keeping special telecom provisions for island and offshore areas.
Areas most likely to benefit include:
- Northern mountain and border provinces: communities across rugged terrain can face costly tower construction, difficult fibre routes and weather-related access problems.
- Central Highlands: farms, tourism properties, worksites and dispersed settlements may benefit where fixed broadband is unavailable or inconsistent.
- Islands and coastal communities: remote islands, fishing operations and maritime facilities can use satellite links where terrestrial backhaul is limited.
- Disaster-prone central provinces: satellite terminals can provide backup communications when storms, landslides or flooding damage local cables and towers.
- Remote schools, clinics and public offices: a satellite terminal can bring broadband to isolated facilities without waiting for a new fibre route.
Recent reporting shows why the “last few percent” still counts. By late June 2026, telecom networks reportedly covered 99.56% of Vietnamese villages, yet more than 400 villages remained without mobile coverage, mainly in mountainous, border and island locations. Those are exactly the places where low-Earth-orbit satellite broadband can have an outsized effect.
Price, Hardware And Competition Will Decide How Far Adoption Goes
Starlink’s reach does not automatically make it the cheapest option. A residential customer faces 1.13 million dong per month plus an 8.66 million dong hardware purchase, according to the Starlink Vietnam service page. For a household already served by affordable fibre, that upfront bill can be hard to justify. For a remote lodge, farm, construction site or business losing revenue from weak connectivity, the calculation can look very different.
There is also an important technical distinction. The newly available service uses a Starlink terminal and is not the same as ordinary smartphones connecting directly to satellites without additional hardware. Customers should check availability, installation needs and plan terms before paying a deposit.
Competition may grow too. Amazon previously outlined plans to deploy its Kuiper low-Earth-orbit broadband system in Vietnam, targeting underserved and island areas. If multiple satellite operators enter the market, Vietnam could eventually see stronger price competition, more enterprise options and better redundancy for remote connectivity.
Starlink Arrives As Vietnam Pushes Deeper Into The Space Economy
The timing is notable beyond broadband. Just two days before Starlink’s Vietnam order launch, Vietnamese aerospace company VinSpace said it had signed a contract with SpaceX to launch its first satellites on a 2027 Transporter rideshare mission. Vietnam also opened a major space science and technology centre in Hanoi in March 2026 and wants to become a mid-level space power in Southeast Asia by 2030.
Starlink therefore arrives as both a connectivity product and part of a wider satellite story. For cities already rich in fibre and 5G, it may remain a premium alternative or backup. For isolated villages, islands, offshore users and difficult terrain, the value proposition is more immediate: broadband without extending a cable or building a nearby tower.
FAQs
Is Starlink now available in Vietnam?
Yes, Starlink began accepting Vietnamese customer orders on August 13, 2026 through its local website.
How much does Starlink cost in Vietnam?
Residential plans start at VND1.13 million monthly, while required hardware costs VND8.66 million upfront today.
Which Vietnamese areas could benefit most from Starlink?
Mountain villages, border communities, islands, offshore sites and remote facilities could gain the most connectivity.
Does Starlink connect directly to ordinary mobile phones in Vietnam?
No, the current consumer service requires Starlink terminal hardware rather than a standard phone alone.
How many subscribers can join Vietnam’s Starlink pilot?
Vietnam’s pilot permits up to 600,000 subscribers and is scheduled to continue until December 2030.
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