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Hello everyone, just sharing some details.
Feel free to append or correct these points if necessary.
I recently visited Vietnam and initially purchased an eSIM from Airalo, though the connectivity proved inconsistent at times.
I subsequently bought a physical SIM card right at the airport (having flown in and out of Vietnam several times) just before the immigration checkpoints upon arrival.
The cost was 350,000 VND for a plan offering unlimited data, valid for twenty-one days.
Other choices include SIMs that come with a local Vietnamese phone number.
Be sure to verify that the card is functioning before proceeding to the immigration line; I bought three cards for friends arriving later, and a couple of them were inactive.
The airport personnel willingly exchanged the cards as some units had passed their expiration date.
Passport registration was not required.
eSIM options were also available for purchase.
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See Reviews on TripAdvisor ➜Past the customs declaration area, SIM cards were priced around 300,000 VND.
Outside the terminal building, the price increased to 430,000 VND.
All of these plans were with Viettel and included uncapped data.
Mobifone and Way2Go are alternatives, but I personally used Viettel.
In the city centers, SIM cards are no longer being sold at Circle K or other local convenience stores.
Some smaller shops still display SIM card advertisements, but I did not check if they still retail them.
At dedicated Viettel stores, the price was stated as 250,000 VND, although these shops were not conveniently located for me, so I didn’t verify; however, my parents acquired theirs from a Viettel branch.
In conclusion, I suggest purchasing at the airport as pricing is quite similar across different vendors, varying only by a few dollars.
I did not inquire about bank card payment, as I paid using cash.
Your trip will be significantly smoother with a reliable internet connection and the Grab application installed on your device.
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SIM cards available at the airport, many vendors Taseco Media.
They will charge extra for the sim package in comparison to buying it at the official network store, however for the convenience worth paying the little extra so that you have data straight away to book a taxi, call the hotel etc.
Put the sim in your mobile phone and check that it works properly before you leave the place.
Replying to Rak
Yes, vendors must earn some, thats why little more expensive than the official store in the city center.
Its nice to have internet fixed when at the airport and just need to get a taxi/Grab to hotel and start the vacation.
Next time I will check how it is to buy at the official Viettel store.
A friend bought for my parents this time, didnt use my parents passports for registration, maybe used his own ID if registration is needed.
I only know it cost 250.000 dong and the SIM card expiration can be extended if paying X every month.
So I dont know what kind of package it was.
Replying to SilverFang13
It’s not the money, it’s the buying of a an already used sim card, and that card running out well short of the 30 days you purchased.
I will never buy from a third party again.
Scott
Replying to scottj765
Third party vendors at the airport are fine as long as they do the proper registration of SIM cards.
Customers get internet access straight away and able to make calls.
They do need to make a some profit by selling the SIM cards at higher prices which is fine as they need to make a profit too for store rent, bills and staffing etc.
I was recently in Vietnam and bought an eSIM from Airalo, but the connection wasn’t always stable.
——
In the interests of balance, I spent 3 weeks in Vietnam with Airalo and it was superb.
Airalo has worked great for me also.
There is a Viettel store in the Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake.
53 P. Lương Văn Can, Hàng Trống, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam
https://maps.app.goo.gl/53Yw5LUMLi6Tvj5b6
No passport registration was needed.
———
That’s a big NO NO. Registration takes 15-30 minutes.
While you might be okay with a sim from the airport, or any other third party vendors anywhere throughout Vietnam, I will always go to a store of my preferred sim provider.
In my case, Viettel.
Scott
A regular Viettel SIM card (voice and data) is only worth 60,000 VND.
https://viettel.vn/vx/di-dong/sim-so#
All these telco providers have many different 30-day data packages. The more data included in the package, the higher the price.
https://viettel.vn/vx/di-dong/goi-data-1/
There aren’t any truly “unlimited” packages. Some do give you unlimited Facebook or YouTube.
If the seller doesn’t ask for your passport then they aren’t registering to SIM and eventually it will stop working.
At this point you simply go to any Viettel office with your physical passport (not a copy) and they will register the SIM card.