The Intra Asia (IA) cable system connecting Viet Nam to Hong Kong and other parts of Asia has reportedly been cut, VietnamPlus reported on Tuesday, quoting an unnamed service provider.

An internet cable is seen at a server room in this picture illustration taken in Warsaw January 24, 2012. Photo by Reuters/Kacper Pempel

It is not clear when the disruption near Hong Kong will be fixed.

The 6,800km-long IA undersea cable was officially launched in November 2009, connecting Viet Nam, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan, according to the Viet Nam News Agency.

The latest incident happened shortly after the notorious Asia America Gateway (AAG) connecting Viet Nam and the U.S. was disrupted for the first time this year on Sunday following several ruptures in 2016.

Service provider VNPT Vinaphone said that repair work on the AAG is expected to take place from January 18-23, local media reported.

Vietnamese service providers have been trying to ease their reliance on the AAG in recent years. The 20,000-kilometer system, installed in 2009, has broken or been shut down for maintenance on numerous occassions since 2011.

A new undersea cable costing $450 million connecting Viet Nam with neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region was officially fired up on January 3, promising internet speeds twice as fast.

However, the new cable has already experienced a number of issues, prompting operators to conduct maintenance work only a few days after it was hooked up.

The Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) Submarine Cable linking Japan with Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Viet Nam took four years to complete.

(Source: VnExpress International)