Tens of millions of subscribers are leaving major cities to return to their hometowns for Tet, but with expanded 5G coverage and the application of artificial intelligence, telecom operators say they are prepared to prevent network congestion.

Speaking to VietNamNet on the morning of February 16, Luu Manh Ha, General Director of Viettel Network Corporation (VTNet), said that this year alone, Viettel expects around 7.2 million subscribers to travel home for the Lunar New Year. By the morning of the 29th day of the lunar year, about 6.7 million subscribers had already relocated.

The provinces seeing the strongest subscriber migration include Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen and Nghe An. Ninh Binh recorded the largest shift with around 750,000 subscribers, followed by Thanh Hoa with approximately 650,000 and Hung Yen with about 500,000. In the south, most movement has been from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces in the Mekong Delta.

According to Viettel’s observations, before the 23rd day of the lunar year there was a movement of subscribers toward major cities such as Hanoi, causing voice and data traffic in these areas to increase sharply.

After that, migration reversed from large cities back to localities. The strongest wave of departures from major cities occurred on the 27th and 28th days of the lunar year.

On the 27th alone, about 1.6 million subscribers left cities for their hometowns. On the 28th day of Tet, roughly 1.3 million subscribers continued the return journey.

Luu Manh Ha said Viettel’s data traffic is projected to rise between 16 and 20 percent compared to normal days. The operator has identified around 600 high density gathering points nationwide and prepared network resources and technical solutions to ensure the best possible service for customers across the country.

A notable highlight this year is the addition of 30,000 new 5G stations, enabling more data traffic to shift to the 5G network and improve service quality.

In addition, Viettel can deploy the 2600 MHz band for both 4G and 5G, helping ensure the network remains stable even when traffic surges.

“In previous years, Tet meant our technical teams had to be on constant duty, closely monitoring the network. This year is different because we have applied AI to network operations,” Luu Manh Ha said.

AI systems automatically allocate resources, balance loads, issue alerts and optimize network performance. Currently, Viettel’s AI can predict the scale of events with 92 percent accuracy compared to human forecasts, automatically optimize resources, improve operational efficiency and significantly reduce manual intervention compared to previous years.

As a result, Viettel has reduced the number of technical staff required on network duty by up to 30 percent, he added.

Sharing with VietNamNet about network readiness for Tet Binh Ngo, a representative of VNPT said that compared with the two weeks prior to Tet, total voice traffic has increased by about 12 percent.

Compared with the same period last year’s Tet, voice traffic has decreased by around 18 percent. Localities experiencing strong traffic growth include Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Nghe An.

Overall, voice volumes in the days leading up to Tet in provinces have risen slightly compared to two weeks earlier, reflecting busy trading and communication activities at year end.

In Hanoi, voice traffic increased by more than 7 percent and is expected to gradually decline toward the final days of the year as people return to their hometowns. Data traffic during Tet Binh Ngo is projected to rise by more than 18 percent compared to last year.

VNPT said it has coordinated with local authorities to review and ensure service quality at 289 event and festival locations nationwide during the Lunar New Year. Solutions include deploying temporary base stations, mobile broadcasting units and frequency upgrades, ready to activate additional mobile coverage in case of congestion or overload.

A representative of MobiFone said the operator has prepared technical plans and strengthened network quality to ensure stable and seamless connectivity during New Year’s Eve and throughout the Tet holiday.

Currently, MobiFone’s network capacity is meeting customer demand effectively, ensuring resilience against unexpected congestion in key areas and high data traffic zones.

During the Lunar New Year, user demand is forecast to rise sharply, particularly for data services. High concentration areas include Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Nguyen Hue Flower Street in Ho Chi Minh City and spiritual tourism sites such as Huong Pagoda in Hanoi and Yen Tu in Quang Ninh.

MobiFone has conducted surveys, completed coverage quality assessments, installed additional mobile base stations and expanded network resources to meet customer demand during the holiday.

Thai Khang