15 years ago, Viettel was not only the youngest mobile network in Vietnam but also the first Vietnamese telecom company to venture abroad, launching two networks in Laos and Cambodia in 2009.
To many people, this decision seemed both puzzling and risky. It was puzzling because Viettel was still growing domestically and had many areas to develop, with network investment costs still being paid off. It was risky because international markets posed significant challenges, including cultural, legal, political, and economic obstacles.
Indeed, Viettel faced numerous challenges when expanding beyond Vietnam. However, it didn't stop at its neighboring countries. Today, its international journey includes markets such as Myanmar, East Timor, Peru, Haiti, Tanzania, Burundi, Mozambique, and Cameroon.
The secret to their success can be summarized in four words: “a soldier’s approach”. Originating from the military, Viettel embodies the high discipline and determined spirit of soldiers, who always strive for victory.
A soldier's approach means always being at the forefront, decisive, and determined, following through with everything. Thus, Viettel employees are always ready to take on new, difficult, and unprecedented tasks. Those who ventured abroad quickly adapted to harsh environments, turning challenges into opportunities.
As stated by Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications and former Chairman and General Director of Viettel Group: “When we started mobile business, Viettel's domestic business was still chaotic, but we were already a large company. Staying only in the domestic market wouldn’t make us stronger; we had to go abroad and face strong competitors to improve”.
Viettel's journey in Haiti is often cited as a story of "from disaster to miracle". The devastating earthquake in 2010 could not deter Viettel from investing in this American country.
Just months earlier, Viettel had decided to establish Natcom in Haiti. Amidst the rubble, with 80% of the infrastructure destroyed and over 300,000 casualties, Viettel chose to stay—a decision contrary to most foreign investors at the time.
A year later, Natcom officially launched its services, after building a fiber optic network covering 90% of Haiti’s population, with nearly 3,000 km of fiber optics reaching district levels—20 times the amount Haiti had before the earthquake. From a disaster-stricken country, Haiti became the nation with the largest fiber optic infrastructure in the Caribbean.
Mr. Michel Presume, Haiti’s Secretary of State for Planning expressed his gratitude: “Thank you for your efforts to rebuild Haiti,” making Viettel a strategic partner of the Haitian government in the country’s reconstruction and development.
Over more than a decade, by 2023, Viettel elevated Natcom to the top position in Haiti, even amid ongoing political unrest and security challenges. Once again, Viettel employees in Haiti remained resilient, ensuring timely information rescue, maintaining sales in unstable regions, and keeping the network operational without compromising employee safety. The soldier’s spirit ingrained in their blood forged a steely resolve.
"More than just a telecom network" is how Mr. Roque Silva Samuel, Secretary-General of the Mozambique Liberation Front, described Movitel (Viettel Mozambique).
This recognition is based on Viettel's efforts to bring mobile telecom to rural areas, a task that prior international networks had avoided.
By May 2024, Movitel became the largest telecom brand in Mozambique, with over 11.7 million subscribers.
In every investment country, with the philosophy "infrastructure first, business follows", Viettel focuses on building sustainable and extensive infrastructure with advanced technology. Viettel's companies play a crucial role in telecom popularization, bringing advanced technology to people at all levels.
"Movitel's contributions to Mozambique go beyond providing telecom infrastructure, connecting people and becoming a tool for economic and human development" said Mr. Roque Silva Samuel.
After 12 years, Movitel is the network with the widest infrastructure and deepest coverage. By May 2024, it became the largest telecom brand in Mozambique with over 11.7 million subscribers.
Moreover, Viettel is loved for its dedicated spirit of helping local residents. In 2019, Sobamento, Chairman of Commune 4 (Chokwe District, Gaza Province), witnessed Viettel employees on canoes moving against the evacuation flow into the flood's epicenter during Cyclone Idai to maintain BTS stations, ensuring communication for isolated areas.
Discipline and a willingness to tackle difficult tasks are the enduring spirits of Viettel since it ventured abroad. This is also a key factor in Viettel’s international success. Economist Pham Chi Lan remarked, "Viettel is a business unit, but they are soldiers with great endurance and challenge-overcoming capabilities".
After Hurricane Matthew caused widespread damage in Haiti, Natcom’s rescue teams—Viettel’s brand in the country—found ways to help customers stay in touch with their loved ones.
Over 15 years, political upheavals, economic instability, pandemics, and natural disasters have been frequent, but Viettel has remained steady and even expanded, not just in Haiti or Mozambique.
In Burundi, the world's poorest country, Viettel's Lumitel rose to the top market share within just six months of operation, despite other networks withdrawing due to civil unrest. In Myanmar, after setting growth records in Viettel's largest international market (among 10 foreign markets), Mytel also rose to the top position, overcoming political instability and disease.
As Mr. Le Dang Dung, former Chairman and General Director of Viettel Group, once said: "If we stand firm in difficulties, when everything passes, we will naturally succeed. Viettel has turned every difficulty into an advantage".
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