Asia America Gateway Cable Outage Disrupts Vietnam Internet
The Asia America Gateway cable outage has disrupted connectivity once again, marking the fourth incident this year. The AAG submarine cable system, which spans 20,000 kilometers, connects Southeast Asia to the United States through Guam and Hawaii. As a result, the outage has impacted Vietnam’s international internet access.
Cause of the Latest AAG Cable Outage
The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) reported that the cable failed on August 23. The company identified a power leakage about 250 kilometers offshore from the landing point in Vung Tau. Consequently, internet service providers across Vietnam experienced significant disruptions.
Ongoing Reliability Issues
The Asia America Gateway cable has faced frequent outages since it launched in 2009. Notably, many failures occur along the intra-Asia segment between Hong Kong and Singapore. In particular, the Vietnam section reports the highest number of issues. Meanwhile, the segment between Hong Kong and the Philippines shows fewer disruptions.
Impact on Vietnam’s Internet Infrastructure
The $560 million AAG cable carries more than 60% of Vietnam’s international internet traffic. Therefore, each outage creates widespread connectivity challenges. Since its launch, the system has faced a high risk of rupture and requires frequent repairs. For example, the cable experienced at least five technical failures in 2017 alone.
Learn more about VNPT at https://www.vnpt.com.vn
