HÀ NỘI — The Asia-Pacific Gateway (APG) submarine cable was broken at 4pm on Tuesday, affecting Internet connections in Việt Nam, especially for users in central localities. 

Telecommunication service provider VNPT Vinaphone yesterday confirmed that the connection was disrupted on the APG section connecting the central city of Đà Nẵng with the US, Japan and Hong Kong, causing slow international Internet traffic during peak hours. 

Currently, VNPT is coordinating with foreign partners to clarify the reason behind the incident and seek solutions as soon as possible. 

In order to ensure the best possible speed for their customers, VNPT has switched traffic to the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 3 (SMW-3), the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), and the China-Southeast Asia Terrain Cable System (CSC) for affected customers. 

Viettel, another major Internet provider in Việt Nam, meanwhile affirmed that its customers have not been affected by the incident. Apart from the APG, Viettel uses other cable systems like AAG, Intra Asia and inland cable systems through China, Cambodia and Thailand to ensure connection stability. 

The APG cable system, invested by VNPT, Viettel, FPT Telecom and CMC Telecom, was piloted in October 2016 before officially beginning operations in Việt Nam last December. The 10,400km system has a capacity of 54 terabits per second with an Internet speed 20 times higher than AAG. 

Initiated in 2009, the APG is a partnership between some telecom groups from China, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Việt Nam. — VNS