Vietnam eSIM vs airport SIM card: which should you get?

Updated

There are three ways to get mobile data in Vietnam: an eSIM you install before you go, a physical SIM card bought after landing, or your home carrier's roaming. Which one suits you depends on whether you need a Vietnamese phone number and whether your phone has eSIM.

A travel eSIM

  • You buy and install it before you fly, so you have data from the moment you land.
  • Data-only plans need no passport check, because they have no Vietnamese phone number.
  • Your home SIM stays in the phone, so calls and SMS codes keep reaching your usual number.
  • Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked: check yours.

A SIM card from the airport

  • Sold at counters in the arrivals halls of the main airports, such as Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City.
  • Comes with a Vietnamese phone number, which helps if you need to call local restaurants or hotels, or receive local SMS codes.
  • By law the SIM must be registered to your passport at purchase, so expect a queue after a long flight.
  • You take your home SIM out, unless your phone has two SIM slots or a home eSIM.

Roaming on your home plan

Nothing to set up, and you keep your number. The price is set by your home carrier; many charge a daily fee for roaming in Vietnam, and some include it in the plan. Check before you go, because a two-week trip at a daily rate can cost more than a whole eSIM plan.

Which to choose

  • You want data for maps, Grab, messaging and browsing, and your phone has eSIM: get an eSIM.
  • You need a Vietnamese number, or your phone is locked or has no eSIM: buy a SIM card at the airport.
  • Your home plan already includes Vietnam at no extra cost: roaming is fine.

Going with an eSIM? See the plans. Planning to use Grab? Read how Grab works without a Vietnamese number.