HANOI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will be one of the first countries in the world to roll out 5G, the latest generation of mobile communications, its minister of information and communications said here on Friday.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung made the remarks at the ASEAN Conference on 5G in Hanoi, regarding the role of 5G as a pillar of digital economy due to its greater bandwidth, higher speeds and lower latency, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The Vietnamese Information and Communications has licensed local carriers to test 5G services in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, he said, adding that the country is also focusing on developing 5G-based technologies and equipment.

Vietnam is willing to cooperate with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish joint ventures and factories to make information technology equipment, the minister said.

By the end of 2018, Vietnam, with a population of nearly 94.7 million, had roughly 13 million fixed broadband Internet subscribers, and 129.9 million fixed and mobile phone subscribers, including 125.6 million mobile phone ones, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

The conference was jointly held by the ministry, the Vietnam Internet Association and the International Data Group.