Vinaphone, MobiFone and Viettel are the three strongest telecom providers in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Le Nam Thang told reporters from Vietnam News Agency that the merger might have been proposed by the two companies but the MoIC had not reached a decision on the proposal.

He said the Government had instructed the ministry to draw up a restructuring plan for all State-owned enterprises involved in telecom, including the VNPT. However, MoIC was still deliberating on the re-organization.

"MoIC has not made any decision or concrete plan to submit to the Government for approval so far," Thang said.

He said restructuring of telecom companies in general and the VNPT in particular needed to be carried out on a prudential basis as such re-organization would affect the companies’ business operations, workers and customers.

In order to come up with the best restructuring plan, MoIC would carefully review and assess all proposed plans while gathering opinions from experts, relevant bodies and enterprises before submitting the final draft to the Government for approval.

The restructuring plan of the telecom enterprises, including the VNPT, must be dependent on several basic principles. It must help telecom companies sharpen their competitiveness and operate more efficiently, thereby boosting the sustainable development of the domestic telecom market.

Also, the restructuring plan must encompass the entire telecom market, ensuring interests of the whole society and a continuation of services to avoid inconvenience for customers.