Vietnam prepares biometric verification for 100m mobile phone users

Biometric identity verification is becoming a feature of life in Vietnam. The latest measure sees mobile phone users swept up in a national campaign to verify subscriber data.

Subscribers have three methods to complete the process. Using a telecom provider’s mobile app or website, in person at authorized service points, or by using the national digital identity VNeID app.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has released a draft circular on subscriber information verification for domestic mobile telecommunications numbers, set to take effect on March 1.

The regulation will require mobile network operators to authenticate subscriber identities against the National Population Database, introducing biometric checks as a central component of the process.

Under the proposed rules, active mobile numbers must be classified and verified based on registration documents, customer activity and compliance with existing laws. For person-to-person communication services, authentication will rely on electronic identification accounts and legally valid e-authentication services.

Crucially, facial biometric data will be cross-checked against the national database, with a minimum match required across four fields: personal ID number, full name, date of birth and facial image.

Authorities say the measures are aimed at curbing spam SIM cards, strengthening digital trust, and ensuring that mobile numbers are tied to verified identities

MOST has already coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to verify more than 125 million mobile subscribers since 2023, standardizing 11 million records and blocking six million unregistered SIM cards. Unregistered and pre-activated SIMs remain widely available, however, prompting authorities to tighten controls.

Vietnam joins roughly 20 countries that mandate subscriber verification against national population databases before activation. The Ministry is drawing on financial sector practices, where banks employ multi-layered eKYC combining text checks, biometric image verification and document validation.

Officials suggest a similar approach will be applied to telecoms. If biometric data does not match, the SIM card will not be activated. With more than 100 million subscribers expected to undergo biometric verification, the initiative represents one of the largest national identity clean-up efforts in the region.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification  |  national ID  |  SIM card registration  |  telecom  |  Vietnam  |  VNeID