It’s no secret that we are crazy about Vietnam; after numerous visits over the last 2 years, we have even decided to call Saigon home for a while.
In addition to delicious food, friendly people, and stunning scenery, one other reason that we love Vietnam is the availability of super fast and extremely affordable mobile data. It means we can work on our blog without interruption from anywhere in this beautiful country.
We would highly recommend that you purchase a Vietnam SIM card at the airport as soon as you arrive in the country. But with 4 different mobile carriers – Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone, and Vietnamobile – and dozens of different data plans to choose from, picking the right SIM card for your trip to Vietnam can be overwhelming and confusing.
Best SIM Cards for Vietnam Tourists
We wanted to figure out which was the best Vietnam SIM card for travellers like ourselves, so we made a point to try all of the providers during our various trips around the country.
After travelling the length of Vietnam from the terraced rice fields of Sapa in the far north to the white sand beaches of Phu Quoc in the far south, we can definitively say that our favourite Vietnam SIM card provider is Viettel; they have the best mobile network in Vietnam.
Why buying a Vietnam sim card
Asia is much more modern than you may think and there is WiFi EVERYWHERE! So why is it worth it to buy a sim card? Well there are multiple reasons, but the most important one is to stay connected while travelling. You don’t want to go offline as soon as you leave your hotel. Using a taxi app, finding a nearby restaurant, getting directions on Google Maps all becomes a lot more difficult with a local sim card.
And please don’t use international roaming, because a Vietnam sim card is cheap and data bundles are AMAZING VALUE FOR MONEY! This is Asia, some things are dirt cheap and so are local prepaid sim cards and data bundles in Vietnam.
Mobile Internet Providers Vietnam
Let’s first see which providers are available on the market. There are 4 main mobile internet providers in Vietnam:
- MobiFone
- Viettel
- Vinaphone
On top of that you have a couple small operators that offer sim cards like Vietnamobile, but their network is very limited to the big cities only. Not worth it for tourists! More about the 4G/5G network in Vietnam later.
Also love to recommend a great boutique hotel in Ho Chi Minh City: The Myst Dong Khoi. Totally worth spending a couple bucks extra!
Where to buy a sim card in Vietnam
All I can say is get this done as soon as you land. At the airport in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City there are endless opportunities for buying a Vietnam sim card and in the city there are mobile phone stores everywhere. Finding a Vietnam data sim is really easy, finding the best one is a challenge!
I recommend you to buy a sim card for Vietnam at the airport in either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. At these shops you can pay by credit card and there is no need to get cash first. Also these people know exactly what they are doing and they can give you the best advice and it goes fast. Make sure your sim card is working before you walk away.
Popular Vietnam prepaid sim card data packages
The mobile operators in Vietnam often provide the following data packages:
- 1GB
- 2GB
- 3GB
- 4GB
- 12GB, and
- 15GB
Where Can You Buy a SIM Card in Vietnam?
You can get a Vietnamese SIM card in Viettel Mobile, VinaPhone & MobiFone stores. They are also sold at various airports, including Ho Chi Minh City-Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).
You can buy a Vietnamese SIM card in the following airports:
- Da Nang – Da Nang International Airport (DAD
- Hanoi – Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- Ho Chi Minh City – Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
- Nha Trang – Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR)
- Phu Quoc – Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC – may not be the case anymore)
Prepaid SIM Costs
If you decide to buy at the airport, expect to pay more for the convenience, but not a huge amount. Staff at all of the stalls at Danang airport were offering the same prices when I flew in in August 2022: 180,000 VND (~$8) for a SIM with unlimited data valid for a month, 200,000 VND (~$9) for one with a phone number Europe Sim Card.
In town, a Vinaphone SIM with 100GB of data cost 100,000 VND, while a Viettel SIM with 4GB of data per day and a phone number cost 150,000 VND. Free calls to other Viettel numbers were included with the latter, along with an hour of calls to other domestic carriers. Both packages were valid for a month.
If you want more options than that, you’ll likely need to track down an official store where you’ll be offered the full range of available options. If you don’t need much data, you’ll likely be able to save a dollar or two, but given how cheap cell service is to start with, don’t expect big discounts.
Topping Up
It’s very easy to top up your credit. You can buy vouchers pretty much anywhere you’re ever likely to go as a tourist, and the vendor will probably offer to sort the process out for you even if they speak very little English.
If not, with Viettel, you just type *100*<code on the top-up card># to add the credit, then send an SMS to 9123 to enable the package you want to use.
Reference-
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
