According to Dat Viet at VN Express International, Viettel, the military owned telecommunications company, has installed several 5G network broadcasting stations throughout Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. You can see the article here.

This is a major turn around for Vietnam as they are intent on becoming one of the first countries in the world to roll out 5G services. This is especially important as the country works on its infrastructure to handle the influx of manufacturers from the US-China Trade War.

I remember ten years ago researching VOIP regulations in Vietnam. At the time it was still illegal to broadcast Voice Over Internet Protocol from a computer in Vietnam. Not that that stopped anyone from using Skype or other internet based services. Needless to say, for Vietnam to be at the forefront of 5G services globally is a huge change from ten years ago.

I have to wonder if the law is going to be kept up to handle this innovation. Not only will internet speeds increase, but the possibility of automate vehicles is even mentioned in the VN Express article. To imagine automated vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi is nearly impossible, but then, a hundred years ago we were barely moving with the Ford Model-T.

If VIettel can pull off this 5G coup, and it looks promising that such a miracle may occur, then Vietnam will be poised to lead SE Asia into a new era of connectivity. It will require many new laws and sophisticated legislatures and ministry personnel to understand the new technologies and allow them rather than stifle them.

At Indochine Counsel we are working to prepare for this future, by investing in training and development of our people, and in allowing a Millenial workforce to come on board with their tech savvy ways and their interest in things like fintech and facebook.

For the future, look no further than the new generation of lawyers coming up in the ranks. A week and a half ago I had the opportunity to attend a training on leadership with the firm, and sat at a table with several young–early twenties–lawyers who were working to0 develop their leadership and legal skills. I was impressed by their ferocity of attacking problems, and their insight into the current world of work. If this is the quality of lawyers coming up in the world, then I am satisfied that things will be okay, at least in Vietnam.