Viettel to open new data center in Ho Chi Minh City next month
Expected to be operational by 2026, the center will play a critical role in meeting the data storage and processing needs of southern Vietnam.
THE HANOI TIMES — Viettel, Vietnam's military-run group, will build a new data center in Ho Chi Minh City in April, which will be four times larger than its current facility in Hanoi's Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park.
Viettel's new data center at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park. Photo: Viettel
Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and CEO of Viettel Group, made the announcement at the first meeting of the Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation, Digital Transformation and Project 06 [the project to use demographic, identification and e-authentication data for national digital transformation in 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030] chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on March 18 in Hanoi.
Developing data center is one of Viettel's three infrastructure initiatives to boost science, technology, and innovation efforts.
Thang called on the two ministries of Industry and Trade and Foreign Affairs to work with the US to facilitate the procurement of graphics processing units (GPUs), which have become a challenge to acquire.
At the meeting, he also reported on plans to expand 5G infrastructure and international submarine cable systems. Thang noted that Viettel has a plan to deploy 20,000 5G base stations by 2025, increasing data transmission speeds by over 2.5 times. The group expects to import equipment by August and operate the stations by December 2025.
Regarding submarine cables, Thang said that Viettel is working with Singaporean partners and other Vietnamese carriers to lay the ALC line, which is anticipated to be completed by 2026, with plans for a third cable by 2028, two years ahead of schedule.
Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and CEO of Viettel Group speaks at the government meeting on March 18. Photo: VGP
Meanwhile, FPT IS, a subsidiary of FPT Corporation, proposed the establishment of a national data center. The company urged the steering committee to expedite the creation of a Vietnamese data platform, which would provide technology companies and scientists with access to large data sets essential for the development of localized AI products.
Nguyen Hoang Minh, CEO of FPT IS, called on the government to establish a specific legal framework to guide local authorities in the ongoing territorial reorganization that affects data systems.
"This will provide an essential basis for data sharing with the National Data Center, which is scheduled to be launched in August," he said.
Minh also urged the implementation of the Law on Data, citing that leading countries in AI, such as the US and China, have developed robust legal frameworks that enable efficient data platforms and give tech companies the right to access and use large data sets.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers a speech at the meeting.
At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested relevant ministries to tackle key tasks related to science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, as well as administrative reform and Project 06.
He emphasized the need to remove regulatory barriers, and instructed the Ministry of Science and Technology and other departments to urgently review relevant laws.
The prime minister said that recommendations will be submitted to the National Assembly in the upcoming session.
In addition, Chinh urged a review of infrastructure investment, with at least 3% of the 2025 budget allocated to science and technology, which includes an additional VND10 trillion (US$391.5 million) from excess revenue.
An overview of the meeting.
