Vietnam Approves Starlink Internet Service, Sparking Envy Among Chinese Netizens

Starlink, a company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk (Made by ChatGPT)

[People News] The Vietnamese government has recently granted a permit to Starlink, a company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, allowing its local subsidiary to operate Starlink satellite internet services in Vietnam. This move stands in stark contrast to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) recent intensification of online monitoring, which has even included banning discussions on topics like 'not getting married or having children.' This situation highlights the CCP regime's superficial arrogance, which belies a deep-seated lack of confidence. Many Chinese netizens have expressed envy towards Vietnam, with some commenting, 'This little brother's confidence has already surpassed that of the big brother next door (the CCP),' while others have referred to China, under the CCP's stringent surveillance, as 'a large North Korea.'

On February 15, Vietnam's official media outlet, Voice of Vietnam (VOV), reported that the Ministry of Science and Technology's Radio Frequency Department officially issued a radio frequency and equipment usage permit to Starlink Services Vietnam Limited Company on February 14. This permit allows the company to construct four gateway stations and operate up to 600,000 terminal devices. The granting of this frequency usage permit signifies that the system can be legally deployed in Vietnam for receiving and transmitting infrastructure. This development marks a shift in the Vietnamese government's management approach: while maintaining strict control over the country's limited frequency resources, it is also creating a controlled experimental space for breakthrough technologies.

Vietnamese authorities have mandated that Starlink must ensure "no interference with existing radio communication networks" and must protect Vietnam's national defence and security. Under the regulations, the pilot phase for Starlink's low Earth orbit satellite communication service in Vietnam is set for five years, concluding before January 1, 2031.

Starlink delivers high-speed internet services to remote areas worldwide through thousands of near-Earth orbit satellites.

Official data indicates that nearly 80% of Vietnam's approximately 100 million population are internet users; however, there are still gaps in network coverage in rural and mountainous regions. Reports suggest that satellite internet services, including Starlink, will significantly supplement the fixed and mobile ground networks of domestic telecom operators in Vietnam.

The announcement of Vietnam's formal adoption of Starlink internet services has ignited intense discussions online in mainland China.

Some netizens expressed their hopes directly: "I hope this day comes soon for the East (referring to China)." "Can China use it?" "There aren't many countries left that aren't connected."

Others indirectly mocked the Chinese Communist Party: "This little brother's confidence has already surpassed that of the big brother next door." "Once Starlink is launched, X (brick-shaped) will collapse." "If you want to progress, you really can't control it." "Now there’s still the goose heading towards Yi. After the New Year, Yi might be gone too."

Some netizens commented, "Actually, they were already open in this regard; it’s just an additional option for internet access, as Vietnamese operators essentially have no wall, and some weaker wall measures on certain external networks are merely for show." "Vietnam genuinely wants to open up; it can't just follow the stone-stepping approach." "If the locals can't do it well, let the old horse take over. The ambition is extraordinary, and development may accelerate."

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) imposes strict controls and blocks on the internet, creating a firewall to obscure all genuine information in order to uphold its totalitarian regime. In recent years, the CCP has intensified its internet censorship efforts.

By 2025, reports indicated that, in addition to the national-level Great Firewall (GFW), regional internet censorship systems had emerged in China, with even stricter regulations than the GFW, referred to as the 'wall within a wall.' Additionally, the CCP's newly developed 'Reverse Great Firewall' is in the process of being implemented, which can limit access to publicly available data in China from foreign IP addresses through geo-blocking.

On January 31 of this year, the Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security released the 'Cybercrime Prevention Law (Draft for Comments),' which not only targets the Chinese population but also emphasises the need to block free information coming from abroad. It explicitly prohibits individuals and organisations from providing any technical support (such as VPNs) to assist others in accessing blocked foreign information.

Lai Jianping, a former Beijing lawyer and independent scholar, stated in an interview with The Epoch Times that the CCP's enactment of this harmful law is intended to further isolate China from the rest of the world, effectively transforming China into a 'larger North Korea.'

In reality, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) methods of internet surveillance have long been perceived by the international community as a manifestation of its insecurity. The CCP often boasts of being the 'world's second-largest economy' and frequently adopts a stance of wanting to reshape the global order, even going so far as to suggest the ludicrous idea of 'the East rising and the West declining.' However, the CCP is acutely aware that under its authoritarian rule, more than 80 million innocent people have perished due to its oppressive regime, while simultaneously generating numerous unresolved social issues in China, including the wealth gap, corruption, capital flight, environmental degradation, rampant pollution, severe smog, economic downturn, unemployment, and a rapidly shrinking population, among a host of other societal challenges. Currently, anti-CCP sentiments are surfacing among the public, significantly undermining the CCP's grip on power. The CCP is concerned that if it fails to control online discourse, the truth will swiftly disseminate throughout society, leading to an increasing number of awakened citizens and a broader anti-CCP movement, heralding the imminent end of the CCP. The CCP's attempts to control public opinion and the internet are nothing more than a desperate struggle for survival. △