Brian Jeffrey
Shifting Trends in Mobile Communication During Tet 2025
The rise of mobile Internet and OTT platforms has led to a noticeable decrease in the demand for traditional mobile voice services, a trend highlighted during the 2025 Lunar New Year celebrations.
Viettel, a major player in the telecom industry, reported a 71 percent increase in voice traffic compared to normal days during Tet. However, this figure represents a 21 percent decline when compared to the same holiday in 2024.
In contrast, data traffic surged by 146 percent compared to regular days, showing a 7 percent year-on-year growth. The provinces with the highest Viettel subscriber counts during the holiday included An Giang, Nghe An, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Thanh Hoa.
At bus stations and along roads, Viettel observed a 15.6 percent drop in voice traffic versus 2024, while maintaining stable data traffic levels. Compared to ordinary days, voice traffic was up by 20 percent, and data communication grew by 6 percent at these locations.
In shopping malls, Viettel noted a significant 35 percent decline in voice traffic and an 18 percent decrease in data traffic compared to the previous year. Interestingly, telecom service use in these areas during the Lunar New Year was similar to regular days after both saw a 20 percent increase in usage during the 2024 holiday season.
This downward trend in shopping mall telecom services has been linked to reduced consumer spending and the rising popularity of online shopping.
In contrast, VNPT (Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group) revealed some differing patterns. “On New Year’s Eve, voice traffic on VNPT’s network increased by 14.97 percent since last year, while total data usage fell by 10.3 percent year on year,” said a VNPT representative.
Traffic at locations designated for fireworks, such as internationally known sites in Hanoi and HCM City, saw a jump of about 200-300 percent compared to daily averages.
The Ministry of Information and Communications reported that during Tet 2025, fixed broadband data traffic increased by an average of 18.3 percent compared to the 2024 holiday, whereas mobile broadband data saw a decrease of 2.5 percent alongside a 17.2 percent drop in both domestic and international voice traffic.
The ministry’s data indicates a clear transition from traditional voice communication to data-oriented services, as users increasingly favor OTT messaging and video calls over standard voice calls.
