By Bao Anh, VN Express
August 29, 2017
The infamous Asia America Gateway was ruptured in two places, while the Intra Asia cable has also cracked just off Hong Kong.
Vietnam's internet speed slowed to a snail's pace on Sunday after the three internet cable systems connecting the country with the rest of the world went down. While no repair schedule has been set, the Vietnam Internet Association estimates it will take 3-4 weeks before they are back up to speed.
The exact cause of the problems remains unknown, but two tropical storms that hit the region over the past week are the most likely culprits, according to experts.
The submarine cables, known as the Asia America Gateway (AAG), Intra Asia (IA) and SEA-ME-WE3 (SMW3), all encountered problems on Sunday afternoon.
The AAG is believed to have been ruptured at two points about 66 kilometers (41 miles) and 85 kilometers from its Hong Kong station. Meanwhile, the IA's problem was reported to be a rupture about 54 kilometers from Hong Kong, according to one internet service provider (ISP).
Another ISP also reported bandwidth losses on all three cable systems. However most of its lost bandwidth on the SMW3 was restored on Monday morning, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper quoted the ISP as saying.
