Vietnam to lock unverified mobile numbers and enforce VNeID verification
Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, through the Telecom Authority, is tightening verification of mobile‑subscriber information. From 15 August, the roughly 13 million unverified numbers will be blocked in both directions, and if the required data is not updated by 20 August the numbers will be reclaimed. The regulator has already transferred more than 114 million active numbers to the national population database, with about 96 million successfully verified.
To help vulnerable users, telecom operators are providing on‑site assistance, local guidance points and police cooperation to ensure the information can be updated in time. Subscribers are urged to use the VNeID electronic‑identity app to check and confirm their registration.
The VNeID platform, promoted as a national “super‑app,” is being expanded to integrate a wide range of personal documents and to link with Singapore and other ASEAN identification systems. Recent updates (version 2.2.10) add services such as online issuance of a criminal‑record certificate and a feature for reporting delays in ID‑card issuance. New regulations also impose administrative fines of up to 50 million VND for misuse of SIM registration information.
These measures aim to clean the national telecom database, reduce spam and fraud, and support Vietnam’s broader digital‑transformation goals.