eSIM for Vietnam

Viasimo's Vietnam eSIM starts at $1.29 for 500 MB over 7 days, running on MobiFone, Viettel Mobile, and Vinaphone with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Vietnam

An Giang
Bac Ninh
Ca Mau
Can Tho City
Cao Bằng Province
Da Nang
Da Nang City

Select your planIn stock

Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$9.00

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$9.00

Going to more than one country? See regional plans

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Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

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Network

Which networks does the Vietnam eSIM use?

Host networks: MobiFone / Viettel Mobile / Vinaphone

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 100 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
Validity: 1–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE / 5G
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Automatic on arrival
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Connects via: Hong Kong
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$2.001 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$6.995 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$12.9910 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$18.99Unlimited, 7 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$1.29

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

Vietnam is one of the better-connected countries you can travel through, and that is not incidental to the trip: almost everything here is arranged on a phone, from the motorbike that takes you three streets to the sleeper bus that takes you three hundred kilometres. Three networks compete hard, the cities are dense, and the long ribbon of coast that most itineraries follow happens to be exactly where the infrastructure is. You will notice the connection mainly when you finally head into the mountains.

Getting online when you land

Install the eSIM profile before you fly, while you have wifi, and leave it inactive. Arrivals at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang are busy, and the airport wifi is not where you want to be standing.

Once you are through, switch on the travel profile, enable data roaming for it, and it should register almost immediately. The first thing most people do is open a ride-hailing app, since airport taxi arrangements vary and having a fixed price on screen removes the argument entirely.

Your home SIM stays in the phone with data off, keeping your usual number available for the codes your bank and airline send.

The networks you'll be on

Three operators carry data here: Viettel Mobile and Vinaphone on 4G LTE and 5G, and MobiFone on 4G LTE. That spread is genuinely useful in a country this long and this varied, because the operator that covers a coastal city best is not always the one that reaches a mountain pass.

Day to day you will be on 4G, with 5G in the major urban centres. Leave every generation enabled and let the phone choose.

One practical note about being a passenger: on a long coach or train journey down the coast, the connection is stable for long stretches and then vanishes through tunnels and headlands. Download entertainment before boarding rather than trusting a fifteen-hour ride to keep streaming.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang are excellent, and so is the whole central coast through Hoi An and Hue. Nha Trang, Da Lat, Vung Tau and the resort areas are fine. Phu Quoc is well served around its towns and beach strips, less so at the island's northern and southern ends.

Ha Long Bay is reasonable near shore and unreliable once a boat moves out among the karsts. The Mekong Delta is patchy in a specific way: towns are covered, but the narrow waterways and orchards between them are not.

The north is where it really changes. Sapa town is covered; the terraced valleys below it and the trekking routes are not consistently. The Ha Giang loop is the classic case, with signal appearing at settlements and passes and disappearing for long stretches of road in between, which is worth knowing before you rent a motorbike. Phong Nha, the central highlands and the cave and jungle country around them are similarly intermittent.

What you'll actually use data for here

Transport, constantly. Ride-hailing for both cars and motorbikes is the everyday way to move, and it doubles as food delivery. Bus, train and ferry tickets are booked and shown on your phone.

Payment is the second. QR-based payment is widespread, and even small vendors display a code. Cash still works everywhere, but a connection makes life considerably easier.

Messaging is the third, and worth a specific mention: Zalo is the messaging app most Vietnamese businesses and hosts actually use, so expect a homestay or a driver to want to reach you there rather than by email.

Then there is translation, which you will use more than in most of Southeast Asia, and navigation through old quarters where addresses run down alleys and sub-alleys that a car cannot enter. Add photography and uploads, because this is a country people photograph relentlessly, and a light data allowance disappears fast.

Before you fly

Download offline maps for each city on your route, plus the coastal highway and any northern loop you plan to ride. Install the profile in advance and check your handset is unlocked.

Save homestay contacts, tour references and bus bookings so they open offline. Bring a power bank and a waterproof pouch; rain arrives suddenly, motorbike days are long, and a phone mounted on handlebars in a downpour is a phone you are about to replace.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
5G only works where the host network has deployed it and your phone supports it. Everywhere else it falls back to 4G LTE.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Vietnam?

Yes. Your Vietnam eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are MobiFone, Viettel Mobile, Vinaphone. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

Do I get 5G in Vietnam?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on MobiFone, Viettel Mobile, Vinaphone in Vietnam, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

Does Telegram work in Vietnam?

Not reliably. Vietnamese authorities ordered a nationwide block on Telegram in June 2025, citing national security and illegal content. WhatsApp, Zalo and other major apps generally work, though the UK Foreign Office notes that social media access is sometimes restricted temporarily. Move important chats to another app before you arrive.

Which mobile network is best in Vietnam?

In Opensignal's August 2026 report, Viettel won the most awards, five outright and four shared, with MobiFone close behind at five outright and three shared. Vinaphone is the third operator. Your eSIM can use all three, with 5G where available, which helps in mountain areas where one network may be stronger than another.

Is Grab safe to use in Vietnam?

The UK Foreign Office recommends Grab or Xanh SM because they use licensed drivers. Check that the vehicle and driver match the app before you get in, book the whole journey in the app, and watch out for people pretending to work for these companies. Avoid unlicensed taxis, which have been linked to reported assaults in tourist areas.

How long can I stay in Vietnam without a visa?

UK citizens can stay up to 45 days visa-free. Check that the exit date in your passport stamp matches, because it can't be changed after you leave the airport. For up to 90 days with multiple entries, apply for an e-visa on the official portal, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, and name every entry and exit point you plan to use.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Vietnam?

For 7 days in Vietnam, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 500 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $2.00, and unlimited data for $18.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Vietnam: what to know before you land

In Vietnam your eSIM can use Viettel, Vinaphone or MobiFone, with 5G where it is available. Viettel won the most awards in Opensignal's August 2026 report, with MobiFone close behind. Two things to plan for: Telegram has been blocked nationwide since June 2025, and the UK recommends Grab or Xanh SM over hailing taxis in the street.

Emergency: 113 police
114 fire
115 ambulance
Plugs: ACF 220V
Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND)

Main airports

HAN Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi
SGN Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City
DAD Da Nang International Airport
PQC Phu Quoc International Airport

Apps worth having GrabXanh SMZaloWhatsAppGoogle Maps

Visa-free days, e-visas and the 45-day stamp at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat

UK citizens can visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days. The UK Foreign Office advises checking that the exit date stamped in your passport at Noi Bai (HAN), Tan Son Nhat (SGN), Da Nang (DAD) or a land border really is 45 days after arrival. Immigration will not change it once you have left the airport or border post.

For longer trips, an e-visa gives up to 90 days with multiple entries. It ties you to the entry and exit points you chose when you applied, so if you plan to arrive in Hanoi and leave overland into Cambodia or Laos, name that crossing on the application. Apply through the official portal, evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn, which the Foreign Office links to. If you are unsure about a site, check with the Vietnamese embassy in your country.

Save the approved e-visa as a PDF on your phone and print a copy. Switch your eSIM on as you land, so you can show the document and book a ride before you reach the arrivals hall.

Viettel and MobiFone in Opensignal's August 2026 results

Vietnam has three main mobile networks: Viettel, the military-owned market leader, Vinaphone and MobiFone. In Opensignal's August 2026 report, Viettel won the most awards, five outright and four shared, and MobiFone was close behind with five outright and three shared.

Your eSIM can use all three. On a long trip down the country, or a motorbike loop in the north, that flexibility helps: if one network fades in a valley, another may still be there. Leave network selection on automatic so your phone can switch, and only choose a network manually if data stalls and stays stuck.

The Foreign Office notes that authorities can block websites and social media, and that access to social media is sometimes restricted temporarily, although most sites are usually available. Telegram was ordered blocked nationwide in June 2025, so if it is how you normally message people, move those conversations to WhatsApp or Zalo before you arrive. The Foreign Office also says you should not expect privacy online, as authorities can review the content of your devices. British nationals of Vietnamese descent should take particular care with what they post.

Grab, Xanh SM and phone snatching in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

The Foreign Office recommends Grab or Xanh SM, the electric taxi service, because they use licensed drivers. Before you get in, check that the vehicle and driver match the details in the app, and book the whole journey in the app rather than agreeing a fare with the driver. Scammers sometimes pose as these companies, and unlicensed taxi drivers have been linked to reported sexual assaults in tourist areas. Be wary of free bus transfers offered at airports or stations unless you arranged them in advance.

Thieves on motorbikes often grab bags and phones, especially in the busy streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Carry your bag on the side away from the traffic, keep your phone in your hand only when you need it, and step into a doorway to check a map. If you are robbed, hand things over rather than struggle.

The emergency numbers are 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance. They are answered in Vietnamese only, so ask a local or your hotel to help, and use your home SIM, because the eSIM is data-only. Always get a police report for insurance.

Researched October 2026 · 5 sources

gov.uk Vietnam travel advice: entry requirements (GOV.UK)
gov.uk Vietnam travel advice: safety and security (GOV.UK)
gov.uk Vietnam travel advice: getting help (GOV.UK)
insights.opensignal.com Vietnam mobile network experience, August 2026 (Opensignal)
en.wikipedia.org Internet censorship in Vietnam (Wikipedia)

7-day itinerary

Seven days in Vietnam: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Hue

A north-to-centre week for first-time visitors: two days in Hanoi, a night on a Ha Long Bay cruise, a flight south to Hoi An and the temple ruins of My Son, then over the Hai Van Pass to the imperial city of Hue. Uses one domestic flight and road transfers.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 4

When to go March to May is the best compromise for both regions, with warm, mostly dry weather; Hanoi and Ha Long are cool and often misty from December to February, and central Vietnam's rainy season, with typhoon and flood risk, runs from about September to December.

Day 1 Hanoi

Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter

Noi Bai airport (HAN) is about 30 km from the Old Quarter, roughly 45 minutes to an hour by Grab or Xanh SM.

Start at Hoan Kiem Lake and cross the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple on its island. Walk into the Old Quarter, where streets were traditionally named after the goods sold on them, and visit the Bach Ma Temple and the Dong Xuan Market. In the late afternoon, see the trains pass through the narrow Train Street area only where access is allowed, then watch a water puppet show at the Thang Long theatre by the lake.

Signal Hanoi has strong 4G and 5G on Viettel, Vinaphone and MobiFone; keep your phone away from the kerb in the Old Quarter, where motorbike snatching is common.
Day 2 Hanoi

The Temple of Literature and Ba Dinh

Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex in Ba Dinh in the morning, dressed modestly and checking opening days, and see the One Pillar Pagoda nearby. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, with its courtyards and stone stelae of doctoral laureates. In the afternoon, visit the Hoa Lo Prison museum, or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology for the country's ethnic groups, and end the day by West Lake at the Tran Quoc Pagoda.

Signal Coverage is strong across central Hanoi; Telegram is blocked, so use WhatsApp or Zalo to keep in touch with tour operators.
Day 3 Ha Long Bay (on board)

Ha Long Bay overnight cruise

About 2½–3 hours by road from Hanoi to the Ha Long cruise port via the expressway.

Travel east to Ha Long and board an overnight cruise among the limestone karst islands of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most cruises include a visit to a cave such as Sung Sot, kayaking around a floating fishing area or a lagoon, and a climb to a viewpoint such as Ti Top island. Spend the evening on deck as the boat anchors among the islands. Choose a registered operator with a good safety record, as the FCDO warns some boats have sunk.

Signal Coverage comes and goes on the bay: some anchorages have usable 4G, but behind the larger islands and in the caves there is none, so download anything you need before boarding.
Day 4 Hoi An

Back to Hanoi and fly to Da Nang for Hoi An

Ha Long to Noi Bai airport takes about 2½ hours by road; flights from Hanoi to Da Nang take about 1 hour 20 minutes; Da Nang airport to Hoi An is about 45 minutes.

Join the early tai chi session on deck, then return to port and drive back to Hanoi's airport for an afternoon flight to Da Nang. Transfer to Hoi An and spend the evening in the Ancient Town, a UNESCO-listed trading port. Walk across the Japanese Covered Bridge, look into an old merchant's house such as the Tan Ky House, and see the river lit by lanterns after dark.

Signal Signal returns once you leave the bay; Hoi An's Ancient Town has good 4G and 5G in many areas, though it slows in evening crowds.
Day 5 Hoi An

My Son and An Bang beach

My Son is about 1 hour by road from Hoi An.

Leave early for My Son, the ruined Hindu temple complex of the Cham kingdom in a jungle valley, also on the UNESCO list, before the heat and tour groups. Walk through the brick towers, some damaged by bombing during the Vietnam War. Return to Hoi An for lunch, then cycle out through the rice paddies to An Bang beach for a swim, or take a basket-boat ride in the coconut palms of Cam Thanh.

Signal My Son's valley has weaker coverage than the town, but it is usually enough for messaging; Hoi An and An Bang have reliable 4G.
Day 6 Hue

Over the Hai Van Pass to Hue

About 3 hours by road from Hoi An to Hue via the Hai Van Pass; the tunnel route is faster but skips the views.

Drive north past Da Nang's Marble Mountains, then up the Hai Van Pass, where the coast road climbs over a spur of the Truong Son mountains, with old fortifications at the top and views over Lang Co lagoon. Stop at Lang Co for lunch and continue to Hue. In the evening, walk along the Perfume River and visit the night market or take a short dragon-boat ride on the river.

Signal The Hai Van Pass has patchy signal near the top, but your eSIM can switch between three networks, which helps; Hue has good 4G and 5G in the centre.
Day 7 Hue

Hue: the Imperial City and the royal tombs

The tombs are about 20–30 minutes from central Hue by road; Phu Bai airport (HUI) is about 30 minutes from the city.

Spend the morning inside the Imperial City, the walled citadel of the Nguyen emperors, including the Ngo Mon Gate and the restored halls of the Forbidden Purple City. In the afternoon, take a taxi to the royal tombs south of the city, such as the Tomb of Tu Duc, set around a lake, and the hillside Tomb of Khai Dinh, with its mosaic interior. Visit the Thien Mu Pagoda at sunset, then fly out of Hue.

Signal Reliable 4G across Hue, the tombs and the airport, so you can book Grab rides between the sites.

Staying connected on this route

Download offline maps and entertainment before boarding the Ha Long Bay cruise; coverage drops among the islands and in caves.
Move Telegram conversations to WhatsApp or Zalo before arriving, as Telegram is blocked nationwide.
Leave network selection on automatic so your phone can switch between Viettel, Vinaphone and MobiFone on the Hai Van Pass.
Book rides through Grab or Xanh SM and check the driver and vehicle match the app before you get in.

Itinerary sources · 6

whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago
whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Hoi An Ancient Town
whc.unesco.org UNESCO World Heritage: Complex of Hué Monuments
gov.uk GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Vietnam safety and security
insights.opensignal.com Opensignal: Vietnam
en.wikipedia.org Internet censorship in Vietnam – Wikipedia

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified October 30, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified October 30, 2026