Vietnamese regulators are ready to issue a licence for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet services but are still waiting for the US company to submit a formal application, according to a government official.

The update comes as Starlink prepares to roll out its services in Vietnam as early as the fourth quarter of this year.

Nguyen Phong Nha, deputy head of the Authority of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said the ministry has not yet received an official application from SpaceX, which is why no licence has been granted.

Despite the absence of a formal application, the Vietnamese government granted preliminary approval in March for a five-year pilot programme allowing Starlink to operate in the country. The trial period could run through to 2030, with no restrictions on foreign ownership.

Deputy minister of information and communications Pham Duc Long said in July that licensing could proceed once the US company completes investment procedures and registers a legal entity in the country. According to the ministry, services could be launched within three months of licence issuance.

If approved, Vietnam would become the fifth Southeast Asian nation to host Starlink’s services, joining the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste.

Tariff context

Founded by Elon Musk in 2002, SpaceX launched its first operational Starlink satellites in 2019. The network now provides internet coverage in around 130 countries and territories worldwide.

Vietnam’s accelerated move to greenlight Starlink earlier this year coincided with mounting trade tensions with the United States. In March, Hanoi fast-tracked preliminary approvals amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to impose tariffs as high as 46% on Vietnamese exports.

Following trade negotiations, the Trump administration announced in July that it would reduce the tariff rate to 20%, while imposing a 40% levy on goods deemed as having been transshipped through Vietnam.

Musk stepped down in May as the de facto head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, a role he assumed earlier in 2025 under the Trump administration.