On April 3, user Mario Nawfal posted about Starlink’s planned rollout in Vietnam, citing foreign media reports stating that the first ground station will be located in Da Nang. According to the post, SpaceX’s plan involves more than just one station.

Sources revealed that the Da Nang ground station could be operational by May or June and will be part of a network of 16 stations across Vietnam. If implemented as planned, Vietnam will become one of the countries with the largest Starlink networks in the world.

While Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service currently operates in over 100 countries and territories, it does not disclose how many ground stations are active globally - and not every service area has one. Ground stations connect with orbiting satellites and relay data to users, helping to optimize Starlink’s performance in a given country.

According to Starlink Installation Pros, a company that specializes in installing Starlink systems, there are currently around 150 ground stations worldwide, with nearly half located in the United States.

Another source indicated that SpaceX may invest approximately USD 3 million in the ground station planned for central Vietnam.

“SpaceX will put Vietnam on the satellite map,” Nawfal concluded.

Musk reposted Nawfal’s message but did not offer any additional comment.

Starlink pilot approved in Vietnam until 2031

According to Decision No. 659 signed by the Prime Minister on March 23, SpaceX has been granted conditional approval to pilot Starlink services in Vietnam. The pilot program will last for five years from the date SpaceX officially establishes a legal entity in Vietnam and receives a telecommunications business license, with operations to conclude no later than January 1, 2031.

The maximum number of trial users allowed during the pilot phase is 600,000. This includes both direct customers of the SpaceX entity established in Vietnam and those using services resold by licensed Vietnamese telecom operators.

During a working session with the Ministry of Science and Technology on April 1, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung was informed by Nguyen Thanh Chung, Director of the Authority of Telecommunications, that SpaceX is completing necessary procedures to enter the Vietnamese market, including company formation and ground station installation.

Du Lam