At a meeting on Tuesday with Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long, Gonzalo de Dios, head of global licensing and international regulatory affairs for Amazon’s Kuiper project, apprised him about the plan and said Vietnam is key to Amazon’s development.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long (right) receives Gonzalo de Dios, head of global licensing and international regulatory affairs for Amazon’s project Kuiper, in Hanoi on Aug. 26, 2025.

Kuiper, Amazon’s satellite internet project, is setting up a network of more than 3,200 low-orbit satellites to deliver high-speed connections to remote, rural and island areas.

It can offer speeds of up to 400 Mbps for households and 1 Gbps for businesses, with low latency and built-in security from Amazon Web Services.

Gonzalo said Amazon has launched 102 satellites and plans to put at least half of the remaining ones into orbit by 2026. It plans to roll out the internet service by late 2025.

It has established Amazon Kuiper Vietnam Co. Ltd., with an office in HCMC.

On Aug. 6 the latter submitted an application to initiate a controlled pilot program for providing low Earth orbit satellite telecom services.

At the meeting Long said would help Vietnam further the goal of nationwide internet coverage by 2030.

He instructed the telecommunications and radio frequency departments to work on technical issues and help complete the application for submission by September.

In April Elon Musk’s SpaceX had received a license to pilot its Starlink satellite internet service.

It already has thousands of satellites with millions of users.

Affandy Johan, an analyst at Ookla, the company behind internet monitoring tools like Speedtest and Downdetector, told : "Many areas struggle to deploy traditional networks because of terrain or sparse populations. Starlink offers a high-speed option where alternatives are limited.

"It supports Vietnam’s digital transformation goals, especially in education, healthcare and rural development, and suits the country’s mountainous and coastal regions."

He said in Indonesia, satellite internet helps islands without traditional networks and supports telemedicine.

In Japan, Starlink provides internet for private 5G networks at construction sites in remote mountain areas.

"Satellite internet will not replace existing networks but will add an important layer of coverage," Johan added.

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