Vint is seen as one of the founding fathers of the Internet, and along with Robert Kahn, was award the ACM AM Turing Prize - the Nobel Prize of Computer Science - in 2004. Vint contributed to many areas in the creation of the Internet, including writing many RFCs (Requests For Comment) drafts, and in 1974 published the classic paper of "A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication" in the IEEE Transactions on Communications. This paper basically defined the IP and TCP protocols that would eventually be used to build the Internet.

Along with the A.M. Turing Award, he received the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in 1997, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W Bush, and the Marconi Prize. Vint has Honorary Doctorates from over 27 universities, including ETHZ in Zurich, Yale University and the University of St Andrews. In 2012, he was induced into the Internet Hall of Fame, and, in 2023, he received the IEEE Medal of Honor for co-creating the Internet, and in sustained leadership in the creation of the Internet as critical infrastructure.