eSIM for Vietnam. eSIM for Vietnam: Viettel and Vinaphone coverage, what a local SIM really costs, and how to keep your own number live in Ho Chi Minh City. No roaming bill.
Vietnam is served by Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone. Viettel reaches further than anyone into the highlands and the Mekong Delta. 5G is live in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang, with dependable LTE along the coastal route between them.
Vietnam has cracked down hard on unregistered prepaid SIMs, and lines bought from street vendors are routinely deactivated. Buying legitimately means a passport, an in-person registration and, increasingly, biometric verification.
The failure mode here is not bad coverage, it is a line that simply stops working on day nine because it was never properly registered to you. Travelers discover this when they are in Hoi An with no way to call the guesthouse.
Vietnam is outside almost every European roaming bundle and most US day-pass country lists price it at the top tier. Carrier roaming here is one of the worst value propositions in Asia.
The alternative to both: Ringo is a global eSIM subscription that ports your existing phone number, so calls, SMS and two-factor codes keep working in Vietnam and 180+ other countries on one flat monthly plan.
Because they were sold without proper registration. Vietnam requires every prepaid line to be registered to a verified identity and periodically purges those that are not. A SIM handed to you without your passport being scanned is one that will likely be cut off.
Yes, and cheap. Vietnam consistently posts strong mobile speeds for its price level, and Viettel LTE reaches well into rural areas. Connectivity is not the problem here, the paperwork is.
Mostly. The coastal rail line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City tracks populated areas, so you hold LTE for most of the journey with drops through the Hai Van pass tunnels.
Ringo Light Vietnam data eSIM, on sale now: 10 GB, 30 days €29.99; 20 GB, 30 days €59.99; Unlimited, 3 days €12.99; Unlimited, 7 days €26.99; Unlimited, 30 days €89.99. Works across Vietnam. 10 or 20 GB of data for 30 days at full speed with no daily cap, one payment. Unlimited data (fair use policy applies) for 3, 7 or 30 days. Installed once, next to your own SIM and number.
Every region and country on sale
Loading the full Ringo experience…