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If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, a top tip for keeping down costs is to switch to a local SIM card. Take advantage of better tariffs, plans and deals to reduce your roaming rates. Vietnam has some good SIM card options, but the coverage can sometimes be questionable. You can get 1GB of data from Vietnam’s top telco providers for just VND100,000 (US$4.40). So, whether you’re a short- or long-term traveler, you can save money by comparing your SIM card options on finder.com.
There are four main telco providers in Vietnam: Viettel, Vinaphone, Mobifone and Vietnamobile. Locals and travelers use SIM cards from all four networks, and they can be trusted whatever plan you choose. According to OpenSignal’s coverage map, Vietnam has a good or above average signal for South-Eastern Asian standards. Coverage can suffer in the remote country regions, but that will happen on any phone or provider you use there.
All four operators offer prepaid SIM cards and you can buy them from stores, supermarkets, kiosks, drug stores and official outlets as well as at Tan Son Nhat international airport. 2G, 3G and 4G plans are available on all networks for unlocked GSM phones. You can buy a SIM card by showing your passport, and your telephone number is already active when you purchase it. To add credit, there are several prepaid card machines around various towns and cities, and vouchers are stocked in stores and supermarkets.
Below, we have broken down each telco provider to highlight exactly what they can offer you during your stay in Vietnam.
Viettel is the largest operator in Vietnam, owned by the government and ministry of defense. It offers customers 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Network coverage is strong around the main towns and cities, and is reliable throughout the rest of the country. Viettel is the best operator to use in the rural areas. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased from official stores and approved resellers. Take your passport along just in case it’s needed for set-up. Credit can be purchased from most retailers across the country.
Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased for VND50,000-VND60,000, and come with the same amount of credit. The “Tomato” and “Economy” prepaid SIM cards offer several different plan options, but data packages will have to be added to surf the net. Dial *101# to check your balance and *102# for any bonuses. To add credit, dial *100*<voucher PIN>#. There is also an English language setting in the menu, otherwise the SIM card will operate in Vietnamese.
The standard default data rate is charged at VND75 per 50 KB. The following packages can also be added:
Data | Price | Activation | Overuse |
---|---|---|---|
50MB | VND10,000 | MI10 | VND25/50KB |
200MB | VND30,000 | MI30 | VND25/50KB |
450MB | VND50,000 | Mi50 | VND25 /50KB |
600MB | VND70,000 | MiMax | 0 |
1.5GB | VND120,000 | Dmax | 0 |
3GB | VND200,000 | Dmax200 | 0 |
Dial *098#” and follow the instructions to activate the relevant pack.
The following data packs can also be added:
Text “KTTK” to 191 to check your data usage.
In addition, there is a tourist SIM card offering the following options:
Price | Data | Local call minutes | International call minutes | Validity |
---|---|---|---|---|
VND100,000 | 1GB | 20 mins | 10 mins | 5 days |
VND200,000 | 2GB | 40 mins | 20 mins | 10 days |
VND300,000 | 3GB | 60 mins | 30 mins | 15 days |
VND500,000 | 5GB | 100 mins | 50 mins | 25 days |
Data over-use is charged at VND9.76 per 50 KB. Dial *101# to check balance.
The following “DCom” data plans can also be purchased:
Text the name of the relevant bundle to 191 to activate.
Viettel’s APN: v-internet, and website: http://4gviettel.vn
Vinaphone is the second largest operator in Vietnam. It offers customers 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Network coverage is strong around the main towns and cities, and is reliable throughout the rest of the country. Internet speeds are good. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased from official stores and approved resellers, but take your passport along just in case it’s needed for set-up. Credit can be purchased from most retailers across the country.
The “VinaCard” prepaid SIM card can be purchased for VND50,000. Credit can be purchased in varying amounts between VND5,000 and VND500,000. Dial *100*<PIN code># to add credit. Dial *101# to check balance and *102# for data usage. If you’re having trouble using data, text “GPRS ON” to 888 which will ensure your data line is active.
The standard default data rate is charged at VND1.5 per KB. The following data packs can be added:
The following packages are valid for one month:
Data Volume | Price | Activation |
---|---|---|
50MB | VND10,000 | M10 |
150MB | VND25,000 | M25 |
500MB | VND50,000 | M50 |
1.5GB | VND120,000 | M120 |
600MB | VND70,000 | MAX |
1.2GB | VND100,000 | MAX100 |
3GB | VND200,000 | MAX200 |
2.4GB | VND70,000 | BIG70 |
3.5GB | VND90,000 | BIG90 |
6GB | VND120,000 | BIG120 |
11GB | VND200,000 | BIG200 |
18GB | VND300,000 | BIG300 |
Data Volume | Price | Activation |
---|---|---|
2GB | VND79,000 | SPEED79 |
6GB | VND199,000 | SPEED199 |
10GB | VND299,000 | SPEED299 |
Text “DK”<blank><activation code> to 888 to activate.
The following data boosters are also available:
Text “DK”<blank><activation code> to 888 to activate.
The Vinaphone tourist SIM card can be purchased for VND300,000 and comes with 8GB data, 80 local minutes, 80 SMS and 50 international minutes to the following countries: US, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. Landline calls can be made to Japan, Taiwan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and Russia.
Vinaphone’s APN: m3-world, and website: http://vinaphone.com.vn
Mobifone is the third largest operator in Vietnam. It offers customers 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Network coverage is strong around the main towns and cities, but will struggle in the remote regions. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased from official stores and approved resellers, but take your passport along just in case it’s needed for set-up. Credit can be purchased from most retailers across the country.
Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased for VND50,000. Top-ups can be found between VND5,000 and 500,000. Dial *101# to check balance. Text “DATA ON” to 999 to activate data usage. The standard default data rate is charged at VND75 per 50 KB or VND8,000 for 150MB of data use in one day. The following monthly packs are also available:
Data Volume | Price | Activation SMS |
---|---|---|
50MB | VND10,000 | M10 to 999 |
150MB | VND25,000 | M25 to 999 |
450MB | VND50,000 | M50 to 999 |
600MB | VND70,000 | MIU to 999 |
1.5GB | VND120,000 | M120 to 999 |
3GB | VND200,000 | BMIU to 999 |
1.6GB | VND70,000 | M70 to 999 |
2.1GB | VND90,000 | M90 to 999 |
3GB | VND120,000 | M120 to 999 |
5.5GB | VND200.000 | M200 to 999 |
As well, there are tourist SIM cards called “Happy Tourist, which can be purchased for VND250,000 for either of the following options:
Mobifone’s APN: m3-world, and website: http://mobifone.vn/wps/portal/public
Vietnamobile is the smallest operator in the country with the best rates. It also provides customers with 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE services on a GSM platform. Network coverage is strong around the main towns and cities, but may struggle in the country areas. Prepaid SIM cards can be purchased from official stores and approved resellers. Take your passport along just in case it’s needed for set-up. Credit can be purchased from most retailers across the country.
The “VMOne” prepaid SIM card can be purchased for VND25,000, which comes with VND10,000 credit, valid for 30 days. Credit vouchers can be purchased in the following denominations: VND10,000, VND20,000, VND50,000 and VND100,000.
The standard default data rate is charged at VND25 per 50 KB. The following packages can also be added:
Data | Period | Price | Activation |
---|---|---|---|
1GB | 1 day | VND3,000 | D3 |
450MB | 7 days | VND10,000 | W10 |
120MB | 10 days | VND10,000 | D10 |
400MB | 20 days | VND25,000 | D25 |
1.3GB | 30 days | VND40,000 | D40 |
2.2GB | 30 days | VND80,000 | D80 |
3GB | 30 days | VND125,000 | D125 |
5GB | 30 days | VND200,000 | D200 |
There is also a tourist SIM card that comes with the following two options:
Dial 118 and select the relevant pack to activate.
The data-only SIM can be purchased for VND65,000, which comes with 5GB of data, valid for 30 days. The following data packs can be added:
Text the code to 345 to activate.
Vietnamobile’s APN: internet, and website: http://www.vietnamobile.com.vn
While it’s well known for reviews, booking hotels, flights and holidays, TripAdvisor also has many user comments that can help guide you through which SIM cards have been tried and tested in Vietnam.
Here are some top tips from TripAdvisor users:
“In the big cities, Mobifone is always recommended to use, but if you will travel to remote areas, VIettel is the best one.”
“The Vietnamese Internet setup is not particularly fast when it comes to Internet surfing, unless your target pages are located in Vietnam. And, there’s no “high speed” mobile Internet.”
“You will be able to buy SIM cards at nearly every shop. If Nano SIM cards are needed they will cut it accordingly.”
“If they don’t have a micro sim they use a cutting press to create a micro SIM card out of a standard SIM.”
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