Airalo vs Holafly for Vietnam in 2026.

Airalo vs Holafly in one paragraph

Airalo is cheaper than Holafly for Vietnam at every length, by cents on the short plans and by a few dollars on the 15 days and the month. Holafly gives you the simpler product: unlimited days with no stated daily cap, on Vinaphone. Airalo gives you more choice, buckets from $4 for 1 GB up to 20 GB as well as unlimited, on VNPT, which is the same Vinaphone network, but its unlimited slows to 1 Mbps after 3 GB a day. Both say the app is optional. Pick Airalo if you want a bucket or the lowest price of the two. Pick Holafly if you stream all evening and never want to think about a daily cap. If the trip is two weeks or a month and you want unlimited, neither is the cheapest: Ringo Light sells 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $42.99, unlimited data at full speed.

Price: the same trip at each

Priced on 25 October 2026, in US dollars, from each brand's own site. For 3 days of unlimited, Airalo asks $11.50 and Holafly $11.90. For a week, $27 at Airalo and $27.50 at Holafly. For 15 days, $48 at Airalo and $51.50 at Holafly. For 30 days, $69 at Airalo and $76.50 at Holafly. Airalo wins every row of the two, by under a dollar on the short plans and by $3.50 on the 15 days and $7.50 on the month.

Ringo Light sells two trips for Vietnam: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $42.99. The 2 weeks costs less than half of Airalo's 15 days at $48 or Holafly's at $51.50, and less than either brand's one week. The 30 days costs less than Airalo's $69 and Holafly's $76.50. Ringo Light sells no 3-day and no 7-day plan for Vietnam; for 3 days, Airalo at $11.50 is the cheapest of the three, and for a week Airalo at $27 and Holafly at $27.50 are the only two choices, though Ringo Light's 2 weeks at $22.99 costs less than both with a week of days left over.

For a fixed amount of data, Airalo is the only one of the three that sells it: 10 GB for 30 days at $18, 20 GB at $29. Holafly sells no buckets. Ringo Light sells no buckets either. If 10 GB is all you need, Airalo is cheaper than Ringo Light's $22.99, and we would rather you read that here than at checkout.

What unlimited means at each

Airalo's unlimited for Vietnam, the Xin Chao plan, gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then slows to 1 Mbps for the rest of the day. That is enough for maps, Grab and messages and an hour or two of video; a long evening of streaming in HD will hit it. Holafly states no daily cap for your own phone and limits hotspot sharing to 1 GB a day, so Holafly is the one to pick between the two if you share data to a laptop every day, but only up to that 1 GB. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed for the whole 2 weeks or 30 days. Fair use policy, see Terms.

Networks and coverage in Vietnam

Airalo's Xin Chao plan rides VNPT, also called Vinaphone. Holafly rides Vinaphone too. So on network, the two are the same choice. Ringo Light rides a local partner network. Viettel, the largest network in Vietnam, is not named by any of the brands we priced. The main towns and the tourist routes between them have good 4G, and 5G in the big cities; signal drops between the karsts of Ha Long Bay whichever eSIM you carry, so save your boat booking offline before you board.

Installation, app and support

Airalo and Holafly both state that their app is optional for Vietnam: you can buy and install from the website, or use the app if you prefer it. Ringo Light needs no app; the eSIM arrives by email in seconds and installs in one scan, and support is by email. Whichever you pick, install it at home before you fly and switch it on for data when you land at Noi Bai or Tan Son Nhat. Viettel and Vinaphone sell tourist SIMs at both airports, often cheaper per gigabyte, but you queue with your passport after a long flight.

The cheaper third option: Ringo Light

Ringo Light is our own data eSIM, sold to fund the full Ringo, one plan that works everywhere with your own number ported onto it. For Vietnam it sells two trips, both unlimited data at full speed: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $42.99. One payment, nothing renews, no app.

What it does not do: no buckets, no 3-day plan, no 7-day plan, no phone number, data only. Calls go over apps that use data. If you want 10 GB for a month, Airalo at $18 is the better buy. If you want 3 days, Airalo at $11.50 is the cheapest and we sell nothing that short. For a week, Airalo at $27 and Holafly at $27.50 are the only 7-day plans, though our 2 weeks at $22.99 costs less than both. For two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three.

The full six-brand comparison for Vietnam, with Saily, Nomad and Ubigi priced the same day, is at /blog/best-esim-for-vietnam. The card to buy Ringo Light is further up this page, just after the side-by-side table.

Which to pick

• Airalo, if you want a bucket. 10 GB for 30 days at $18, 20 GB at $29. Neither Holafly nor Ringo Light sells a bucket.
• Airalo, if the trip is 3 days. $11.50 for 3 days of unlimited, 3 GB a day at full speed. Holafly is $11.90 and Ringo Light sells no 3-day plan.
• Holafly, if you refuse a daily cap. No stated daily cap on Vinaphone. You pay $51.50 for 15 days against $48 at Airalo, and $76.50 for a month against $69.
• ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is a week, two weeks or a month. Unlimited data at full speed at $22.99 for 2 weeks or $42.99 for 30 days, cheaper than both at those lengths, and cheaper than either brand's 7-day plan.

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