Fast internet has become an important part of city life, including for people who work remotely. Across Southeast Asia, differences in mobile network performance can be seen clearly from one destination to another.
In the second quarter of 2026, Da Nang recorded a median mobile download speed of 215.56 Mbps, the fastest among 13 digital nomad destinations monitored by Ookla. Meanwhile, Singapore, long known for its digital connectivity, ranked fourth with 158.82 Mbps.
The data comes from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence report, which compares mobile speeds across 13 remote-work destinations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. The figures show a wide range of mobile speeds across the region, with six cities recording median download speeds above 130 Mbps.
1. Da Nang
Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam, recorded a median mobile download speed of 215.56 Mbps in Q2 2026. The figure placed it at the top of Ookla’s list of 13 destinations.
However, the figure was actually lower than a year earlier. In Q2 2025, Da Nang recorded 261.89 Mbps, making its latest result around 17.7 percent lower.
Da Nang was the only one of the 13 destinations to experience a year-on-year decline in mobile speed. Even so, the drop did not dislodge it from the top of the ranking. Its median speed remained well ahead of the city in second place.
2. Phuket
Phuket ranked second with a median mobile speed of 167.62 Mbps. The Thai tourism destination was only slightly ahead of Bangkok, which recorded 167.27 Mbps.
The difference between the two was less than half a Mbps, putting the two Thai cities almost level in the ranking. Phuket also recorded 83.8 percent 5G availability during the same period.
That was the highest figure among the 13 destinations measured. Thailand’s 5G networks are operated by providers including AIS and True, reaching both tourism destinations such as Phuket and major urban centers such as Bangkok.
3. Bangkok
With a median mobile speed of 167.27 Mbps, Bangkok ranked third, just behind Phuket.
The Thai capital shows that high-speed mobile connectivity is not limited to tourism destinations. Despite Bangkok’s dense population and intense urban activity, its mobile network performance remained among the highest in Ookla’s comparison.
Its narrow gap with Phuket also made second and third place the closest positions near the top of the ranking.
4. Singapore
Singapore ranked fourth with a median mobile speed of 158.82 Mbps, placing it behind Da Nang, Phuket, and Bangkok.
Its connectivity performance looks different when fixed broadband is taken into account. Singapore recorded a median fixed broadband speed of 447.75 Mbps, the highest among the destinations measured in the same report.
The difference shows that mobile and fixed networks do not necessarily follow the same pattern. In Ookla’s data, Singapore’s connectivity strength was more apparent in fixed broadband than in mobile speeds.
5. Hanoi
Hanoi recorded a median mobile speed of 142.55 Mbps, placing it fifth in the ranking.
As Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi came in below Da Nang. The difference shows that mobile network performance is not necessarily uniform within the same country.
Both Vietnamese cities have become destinations for remote workers, but their mobile speed figures differed in Ookla’s measurement.
6. Penang
Penang ranked sixth with a median mobile speed of 134.46 Mbps.
The Malaysian city recorded 40 percent 5G availability during the same period. That was the lowest figure among the 13 destinations for the 5G availability metric.
The difference between Penang’s position in mobile speed and its 5G availability also shows that the two metrics measure different aspects of network performance.
