The short answer
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for Vietnam on the buckets both sell: $17 against $18 for 10 GB and $25 against $29 for 20 GB. Airalo is the only one of the two with a 3-day, 15-day or 30-day unlimited plan, at $11.50, $48 and $69. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day, Nomad after 2 GB. Ringo Light, the third option, is unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $22.99 or 30 days at $42.99.
Unlimited data at full speed for 2 weeks at $22.99 or 30 days at $42.99, nothing renews, no app. Airalo asks $48 for 15 days and $69 for 30. Nomad sells no 15-day or 30-day unlimited. No buckets.
10 GB for 30 days at $17, 20 GB at $25, 50 GB at $39, and unlimited for 5 days at $18 or 10 days at $33. 2 GB a day at full speed on unlimited. On Vietnamobile, MobiFone and Vinaphone.
$11.50 for 3 days, $27 for 7, $48 for 15 and $69 for 30 on its Xin Chao plan, 3 GB a day at full speed then 1 Mbps. Buckets from $4 for 1 GB, 10 GB at $18. On VNPT (Vinaphone).
Prices read on 25 October 2026: Airalo, Nomad on their own sites or listings, Ringo Light from its catalogue. All in US dollars unless stated. Treat every number as a snapshot.
See the full price index for every country.
Travelling further? Compare the best eSIM for Asia and the eSIM for Asia-Pacific.
The prices, charted
US dollars, 25 October 2026. Airalo sells 15 days, Ringo Light 2 weeks. Nomad has no bar: it sells unlimited for 5 days at $18 and 10 days at $33, and none for 15 days.
The 30-day unlimited plan. Ringo Light is unlimited data at full speed. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day. Nomad sells no 30-day unlimited, so it has no bar.
Ringo Light sells no bucket: its 2 weeks is unlimited and lasts 2 weeks, not 30 days. For a fixed 10 GB, Nomad is the cheaper of the two.
Side by side
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Airalo vs Nomad in one paragraph
Nomad is cheaper than Airalo for Vietnam on the buckets both sell: $17 against $18 for 10 GB and $25 against $29 for 20 GB, and it adds a 50 GB bucket at $39. Airalo is the one with unlimited at the lengths most trips need: 3 days at $11.50, 7 days at $27, 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $69. Nomad sells unlimited for 5 days at $18 and 10 days at $33, and nothing longer. Because the lengths do not match, we do not say which is cheaper on unlimited. Airalo slows you after 3 GB a day, Nomad after 2 GB. Pick Nomad for a bucket, Airalo for a longer unlimited trip. If the trip is two weeks or a month and you want unlimited, 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. For 10 GB over 30 days, Nomad asks $17 and Airalo $18, so Nomad is $1 cheaper. For 20 GB, Nomad asks $25 and Airalo $29, $4 cheaper. Nomad also sells 50 GB at $39, which Airalo does not list in the comparison. Airalo's buckets start at $4 for 1 GB.
For unlimited, Airalo sells 3 days at $11.50, 7 days at $27, 15 days at $48 and 30 days at $69. Nomad sells 5 days at $18 and 10 days at $33. No length matches, so there is no like for like price to compare, and Nomad has no bar in the unlimited charts.
Ringo Light sells two trips for Vietnam: 2 weeks at $22.99 and 30 days at $42.99. The 2 weeks costs $25.01 less than Airalo's 15 days at $48, and $10.01 less than Nomad's 10 days at $33. It costs $4.01 less than Airalo's 7 days at $27. The 30 days costs $26.01 less than Airalo's $69. For a fixed amount of data, Ringo Light sells no buckets: its 2 weeks at $22.99 costs $5.99 more than Nomad's 10 GB at $17 and $4.99 more than Airalo's at $18, and we would rather you read that here than at checkout.
What unlimited means at each
Airalo's Xin Chao unlimited gives 3 GB a day at full speed, then drops to 1 Mbps. Nomad's unlimited gives 2 GB a day at full speed, then slower. Both are enough for maps, messages and some video; a day of heavy streaming or a large download will hit either cap, Nomad's sooner. 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 rides VNPT, also called Vinaphone. Nomad lists Vietnamobile, MobiFone and Vinaphone. Ringo Light rides a local partner network. Viettel, the largest network in Vietnam, is not named by any of the brands in the full comparison. For Hanoi, Hoi An, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, the main towns and the routes between them have good 4G, and 5G in the big cities.
Installation, app and support
Both Airalo and Nomad have an optional app: you can buy and manage a plan there, or install from a QR code. 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.
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 or 7-day plan, no phone number, data only. Calls go over apps that use data. If you want 10 GB or 20 GB for a month, Nomad at $17 and $25 is the better buy. If you want 3 days, Airalo at $11.50 is the only one of the three that sells it. For two weeks or a month of unlimited, Ringo Light is the cheapest of the three.
The full comparison for Vietnam, with Holafly, Saily 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
- Nomad, if you want a bucket. 10 GB for 30 days at $17, 20 GB at $25, 50 GB at $39, against $18 and $29 for 10 GB and 20 GB at Airalo. Ringo Light sells no bucket.
- Airalo, if you want unlimited for 3 days, a week, 15 days or a month from one of these two. $11.50, $27, $48 and $69, 3 GB a day at full speed. Nomad sells unlimited for 5 and 10 days only.
- ✓Ringo Light, if the trip is two weeks or a month and you want no daily cap. Unlimited data at full speed at $22.99 or $42.99, below Airalo's $48 and $69 and below Nomad's 10 days at $33.
Pick by trip
Airalo unlimited, 3 days, $11.50. Nomad and Ringo Light sell no 3-day plan.
Ringo Light unlimited, 2 weeks, $22.99, against $48 at Airalo for 15 days. Nomad sells no 15-day plan.
Nomad 10 GB for 30 days at $17, or Airalo at $18.
Ringo Light unlimited, 30 days, $42.99, against $69 at Airalo. Nomad 50 GB at $39 if you know how much you will use.
None of these travel plans does that. The full Ringo, which Ringo Light funds, ports the number you have.
Frequently asked questions
How we compared, and our sources
Airalo, Nomad, Ringo Light
We priced Airalo, Nomad and Ringo Light for Vietnam on 25 October 2026, all on the same day, in US dollars. Each rival's price comes from its own website where it showed dollars, otherwise from an esimdb.com listing, and every source and its date is listed below. Ringo Light's prices come from the catalogue our checkout charges.
We compare the trips people actually book: a week, two weeks and a month of unlimited data, and a 10 GB bucket. We read each brand's fair use and speed rules and quote them as the brands state them. We did not run speed tests, so this page makes no speed claims for any brand.
Ringo Light is our own product. We put it in the table on the same terms as everyone else, and where a rival is the better buy the page says so.
Left out: Holafly, Saily and Ubigi. They sell Vietnam too and are priced on the same day in the full comparison at /blog/best-esim-for-vietnam. This page answers one question, Airalo or Nomad, so it keeps to those two and the cheaper third option. Left out: Unlimited, Airalo against Nomad. Nomad sells 5 days at $18 and 10 days at $33, and no 3, 7, 15 or 30 day unlimited. Airalo sells 3, 7, 15 and 30 days. The two share no length, so we make no cheaper claim between them on unlimited and Nomad has no bar in the unlimited charts.
- Airalo: www.airalo.com/vietnam-esim?currency=USD, unlimited in dollars on the site, 25 October 2026; buckets from esimdb.com/vietnam/airalo, 4 October 2026
- Nomad: www.nomadesim.com/vietnam-esim, prices in dollars on the site, read 25 October 2026
- Ringo Light: our own catalogue, the prices the checkout charges on 25 October 2026.
Written and priced by the Ringo team. Prices change often; if you spot one that has moved, tell us through the contact page and we will update the table.
