Undersea cable fault disrupts Vietnam’s Internet connections

A representative of an ISP said a shunt fault at the S1H cable section caused all the data on the AAE-1 line to be lost since the end of November. A shunt fault is common for undersea cables, usually caused by anchors, fishing vessels, strong ocean flows or even undersea creatures.

The management unit of the AAE-1 has yet to provide a timeline to fix the issue. Vietnam’s ISPs have already prepared plans to reroute data, but Internet connections from Vietnam to other countries and territories would still be affected depending on different time of the day.

The AAE-1 cable has already begun operation since July 2017, helping Vietnam connect with Europe and the Middle East, as well as providing data connecting with Hong Kong and Singapore.

Besides the AAE-1, the AAG cable, which has encountered faults on certain sections since June, has also not completely been repaired.

Faulty undersea cables affecting Internet connections in Vietnam is not uncommon. The Vietnam Internet Association said ISPs in Vietnam have already been used to this, and so impacts on Internet connections should be localized and only apparent during certain time periods.