Vietnam’s Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) adoption rate reached 44%, ranking second in ASEAN and 10th globally, according to the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). The Ministry of Information and Communications’ Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) said in an effort to switch to IPv6, 44 out of 63 cities and provinces have issued their own action plans.
A press release stated that IPv6 is expected to meet Vietnam’s demand to offer new and quality services such as the Internet of Things, 4G-LTE, and 5G networks, contributing to digital transformation and digital government building. In the first half of this year, many localities such as Vinh Long, Binh Thuan, Hau Giang, Thai Binh, and Ha Tinh rolled out their plans to switch to IPv6. They partnered with the VNNIC to hold training for information technology officers in the field.
The VNNIC also recently held a webinar on guidelines for IPv6 address planning for departments of information and communications in the central and Central Highlands regions. In Vietnam, 34 million mobile and 11 million Internet subscribers are using IPv6 services. As of mid-June, over 20% of information and public service portals by municipal and provincial authorities worked on the IPv6 platform.
Meanwhile, Vietnam was announced as the 10th country in the world in terms of smartphone users in 2020 with more than 61 million, according to a recent report on the global mobile market. In Asia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand are also major smartphone markets with 41 million, 39 million, and 38 million users, respectively.
As per news reports, China currently has the largest number of smartphone users worldwide with nearly 912 million. The figures come from the annual Global Mobile Market Report by Newzoo. They are based on a model that considers a country’s economic progression, population, online population, demographic makeup, and accessibility to wireless networks. Accordingly, a smartphone user is defined as anyone using the device at least once a month.
Earlier this month, OpenGov Asia reported that Vietnam ranked 25th out of 194 countries and territories in the Global Cybersecurity Index 2020 (GCI). The report was recently released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Compared to the previous GCI released in 2019, Vietnam is in the seventh position in the Asia-Pacific region, surpassing Thailand to take fourth place in the ASEAN region, just behind Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Vietnam earned an overall score of 94.59 out of the total 100, with improvement recorded across all five pillars: legal measures, cooperative measures, technical measures, organisational measures, and capacity development. Officials have attributed the results to the country’s efforts in a long journey, clearly reflected through senior leaders’ political determination on the issue of cyber safety and security. Also, thanks to the efforts of ministries, sectors, and localities in implementing information security work according to a four-layer model, thus enabling Vietnam to have a sufficiently secure legal corridor on cyber safety.
The 2020 GCI report also recognises significant improvement in the ranking of other Asian nations, especially ASEAN countries which have made great efforts in ensuring cyber safety and security over the past few years. In particular, India jumped 37 places to 10th in the 2020 release, while the Republic of Korea climbed to fourth from 15th and Japan leapt seven places to seventh. Indonesia rose to the 24th position.
