Two fiber optic cable lines had problems, Vietnam's Internet going internationally was affected
(Dan Tri) - Two undersea fiber optic cables connecting Vietnam's Internet to the international market, SJC2 and AAE-1, simultaneously encountered problems, affecting the speed of Internet connection from Vietnam to the international market.
According to information from an Internet service provider in Vietnam, the SJC2 fiber optic cable line had a problem at section S4 Chung Hom Hok (Hong Kong) and AAE-1 lost connection due to a problem at section S1.H2, near the southern coast of Thailand.
The operator of the SJC2 and AAE-1 cable lines has not announced the cause of the incident, nor is it clear when the incident will be repaired.
The fiber optic cable connecting Vietnam to the international market is affected, affecting Internet speed (Illustration: PT).
This is the first time a serious incident has been recorded with the SJC2 fiber optic cable line. Meanwhile, this is the second time in 2026 that the AAE-1 fiber optic cable line has had problems. The previous time occurred at the end of February 2026, when the problem appeared in the Thailand segment, reducing 8 to 10% of Internet traffic from Vietnam to international.
After the incident occurred, Internet service providers in Vietnam redirected international Internet traffic through other fiber optic cable routes to minimize the impact, helping users continue to use the Internet normally.
AAE-1 is a submarine fiber optic cable worth 820 million USD, with investment participation from 19 partners around the world, including Vietnamese network operators. This undersea fiber optic cable line was put into operation in July 2017.
The AAE-1 fiber optic cable route has a length of 23,000km, connecting from Asia to Europe and Africa. AAE-1 has many branching and landing points in Hong Kong (China), Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France.
Meanwhile, SJC2 will only officially be put into operation from July 2025. This fiber optic cable line has an investment of 439 million USD, a length of about 10,500 km, connecting Singapore, Hong Kong (China) and Japan. This cable line reaches many shores, including Binh Dinh (Vietnam).
In fact, problems with undersea fiber optic cable lines from Vietnam to international routes have become very common, occurring at least a few times almost every year, causing many inconveniences and obstacles for domestic Internet users.
The peak occurred at the end of February 2023, when all 5/5 undersea fiber optic cable lines connecting Vietnam to the international market at that time simultaneously encountered problems, seriously affecting the quality of Internet service in Vietnam.
The causes of marine fiber optic cable incidents are quite diverse, but mainly because the cable is located in a location where many ships are anchored or ships are moving but have not yet anchored. As a result, these anchors accidentally got caught in the fiber optic cable and broke it.
Sometimes fiber optic cable problems related to the power source or the operator performing maintenance... will also affect the transmission traffic of the fiber optic cable. However, these types of problems can be fixed more quickly and easily.
Network operators in Vietnam are looking for solutions to redirect the exploitation of fiber optic cables on land so as not to be affected by marine fiber optic cable breakage incidents. However, in reality, global internet traffic and connections between continents still largely depend on undersea fiber optic cables.
Currently, there are 8 undersea fiber optic cable routes connecting Vietnam internationally, including AAG (Asia - America); APG (Asia-Pacific); SMW-3 (Southeast Asia - Middle East - Western Europe); IA (Pan-Asian), AAE-1 (Asia - Africa - Europe); TVH connects Hong Kong (China) with Thailand and Vietnam; SJC2 (Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2) and ADC (Asia Direct Cable) connect Vietnam, China, Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Japan.