Vietnam’s transition to the new-generation Internet protocol IPv6 has reached 65.5%, ranking the country 7th worldwide - a two-spot increase since the end of 2023. This milestone reflects Vietnam's rapid progress in Internet infrastructure development.

Advancements in Vietnam's Internet landscape

On January 24, the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC), under the Ministry of Information and Communications, released the 2024 Vietnam Internet and Internet Resources Report.

Themed “Safe and sustainable Internet infrastructure for the development of emerging technologies,” the report provides a comprehensive view of Vietnam’s Internet landscape, aiding experts, organizations, and businesses in planning for future growth.

Nguyen Hong Thang, Director of VNNIC, highlighted Vietnam’s remarkable achievements since its Internet connection was established in 1997 with a single network. Today, there are 1,148 independent networks connected through IP and ASN systems.

The Internet infrastructure has become increasingly robust with direct peering connections, multi-directional load-sharing systems, and links to key Internet exchange points, including the National Internet Exchange of Vietnam (VNIX). These enhancements ensure reliable and resilient connectivity across the country.

In recent years, Vietnam’s Internet has made strides in infrastructure, speed, security, and user accessibility, becoming an integral part of society and a critical enabler of the nation’s digital transformation and industrialization goals.

Leadership in IPv6 adoption and Internet resources

Vietnam has consistently been a global leader in transitioning to IPv6. As of November 2024, the country’s IPv6 adoption rate stood at 65.5%, 1.6 times the global average. Vietnam is ranked 2nd in ASEAN and among the top 7 countries globally, climbing two spots since 2023.

The year 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s national domain name ".vn," a symbol of national sovereignty in cyberspace.

By November 2024, over 630,000 ".vn" domain names had been registered, ranking Vietnam 2nd in ASEAN, 10th in the Asia-Pacific region, and 40th globally - up six spots since the end of 2020.

The core Internet infrastructure continues to operate at over 99.99% SLA efficiency, with 845 out of 1,148 VNNIC IP members participating in ROA/RPKI digital resource signing.

This widespread adoption of Internet resource signature technology has led to a 73% reduction in routing security incidents in 2024.

The implementation of domestic DNS ROOT systems has significantly improved domain name query speeds, increasing efficiency by five times.

Roadmap for an IPv6-only Internet

Vietnam is preparing for a complete transition to IPv6, aligning with emerging technologies such as IoT, cloud computing, and 5G/6G.

VNNIC has outlined a roadmap to phase out IPv4 by 2032, projecting the following adoption rates for IPv6: 70% by 2025; 80% by 2028; 90% by 2030; 100% by 2032, at which point IPv4 usage will cease.

The transition to IPv6 is deemed essential for developing next-generation Internet services, including IoT and industrial Internet applications.

VNNIC emphasized that moving to IPv6-only networks will drive technological innovation and create breakthrough value while gradually phasing out IPv4 in sync with global trends.

To accelerate the adoption of the national domain name ".vn" as part of the digital transformation, VNNIC aims to achieve at least 1 million ".vn" domain registrations by the end of 2025.

Van Anh