Hanoi ¨C China's leading telecommunication firms Huawei and ZTE have won a string of contracts this year to supply 5G equipment in Vietnam, in another sign of Hanoi's strengthening bonds with Beijing, stirring concern among Western officials, seven people with direct knowledge of the situation said.
For years, Vietnam was seen as reluctant to use Chinese technology in sensitive infrastructure, but in recent months it has embraced Chinese tech companies as sometimes frosty relations with its northern neighbor have warmed while ties with Washington have soured over tariffs on Vietnamese goods.
While Sweden's Ericsson and Finland's Nokia secured contracts for Vietnam's 5G core infrastructure, with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm providing network equipment, Chinese companies have begun winning smaller tenders with state-owned operators, so far unreported public procurement data shows.
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