Recently, the Vietnamese government issued a license to the Starlink company, a subsidiary under the billionaire Elon Musk’s company, allowing its local subsidiary to operate satellite internet services in Vietnam. This move has drawn envy from some Chinese netizens towards Vietnam, while others used it as an opportunity to mock the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The current actions of the CCP, which include further internet censorship, have been criticized, with some suggesting that China is heading towards becoming a “larger North Korea”.
This licensing approval for Starlink signifies a shift in the Vietnamese government’s management mindset. While strictly controlling the country’s limited frequency resources, this move also creates a controlled experimental space for breakthrough technologies to thrive. The company has been granted frequency usage rights, enabling the legal deployment of infrastructure in Vietnam. The license requires Starlink to ensure no interference with existing wireless communication networks and to uphold Vietnam’s defense and national security. The low-orbit satellite communication service trial period in Vietnam is set to last for five years, ending on January 1, 2031.
Starlink, through its thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, provides high-speed internet services to remote areas globally. Despite approximately 80% of the population in Vietnam being internet users, there are still coverage gaps in rural and mountainous regions. Satellite internet services, including Starlink, are expected to complement Vietnam’s domestic telecommunications operators in both fixed and mobile networks.
The official introduction of Starlink’s internet services in Vietnam has sparked discussions within mainland China. Some netizens expressed their desires straightforwardly, questioning if China could utilize a similar service and commenting on the dwindling number of countries yet to be connected. Others indirectly mocked the CCP, suggesting that Vietnam was reckless in prioritizing national security. The debate online ranged from commentary on potential advancements to critique of China’s restrictive policies.
Amidst the increased internet censorship and firewall measures in China to maintain authoritarian rule, recent reports have highlighted the strict control and blocking of networks by the CCP. Regional variations of internet censorship systems in China, such as the “Wall within the Wall,” in addition to the national Great Firewall (GFW), have been under scrutiny. The emergence of a new “Reverse Great Firewall” seeks to restrict overseas IP access to public data within China through geographic blocking techniques.
On January 31, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Cyberspace Administration released a draft of the “Law on Prevention and Control of Cybercrime” that not only targets domestic Chinese citizens but also emphasizes the prevention of foreign-sourced free information. The law explicitly prohibits individuals and organizations from providing technical support (such as VPN tools) to help others access blocked overseas information.
In an interview with Epoch Times, former Beijing lawyer and independent scholar Lai Jianping highlighted that the CCP’s proposed measures aim to isolate China further from the rest of the world, potentially turning it into a “larger version of North Korea.” These developments emphasize the stark contrast between the openness exhibited by countries like Vietnam in adopting advanced technologies for societal progress.