Despite previous reports that a short circuit on Vietnam’s section of the Asia-America Gateway had been repaired and that internet speeds are back to normal, according to multiple sources, the problem persists and may not be fixed until May 13.

Tuoi Tre writes that while Vietnamese telecom giant, VNPT, has identified a power leakage on the section of the cable that connects Vietnam and Hong Kong repairs would likely be slow.

“Cable repairing ships must be deployed for such a task but they are now busy fixing many other issues in the region,” said a company spokesman, adding that they have requested AAG repairs be prioritized.

VnExpress reports that VNPT doesn’t expect repair ships to reach the location, 300km off the Vietnamese coast, until April 30.

Local internet providers claimed that the impact on those visiting international websites would be diminished as they are better prepared to reroute traffic after many breaks over the years.

Since the US$560 million, 20,000km cable went into operation in 2011, it has broken in at least 7 instances, each time on the section that connects Vietnam and Hong Kong. 

Some blame sharks while others conjure up Chinese conspiracy theories, but FPT officials have previously faulted “below-standard technical design” for the regular breaks in the AAG cable.

“I must say that the AAG cable system was built to a below-standard technical design, which is the major reason behind its frequent fractures,” said Nguyen Van Khoa, general director of FPT Telecom after a break last September.

[Photo via Messersmith]