Prepaid 4G SIM card in Vietnam: how much does it cost? Where to buy it?
Why should I buy a SIM card in Vietnam?
Because you need the Internet to order your Grab (equivalent of Uber in Vietnam
)Tourist agencies tend to call you to confirm the imminent arrival of your bus / any change related to your trip.
Vietnamese telephone operators
- Viettel
- MobiFone
- VinaPhone
- Vietnamobile
Viettel is the operator Irecommend if you can find a SIM card from this operator at the airport because it is the only one for the moment (2018) to offer a very good 4G service. It belongs to the army so the infrastructure is better, you can get better reception.
Other operators offer 3G, and are just starting to deploy 4G.
Where to buy a prepaid sim card at Hanoi airport?
After passing immigration, collecting your luggage and passing through customs, turn right.
At the bottom you will find ATMs if you wish to withdraw money.
You will find this store where you can buy a SIM card from the phone company Vinaphone.
A nice fact: while the airport was armored, no waiting!
How much does a SIM card cost at Hanoi airport?
As often (always?) these are offers for tourists, you will pay less if you buy your SIM card in town.
There are several formulas depending on the validity period of the card and whether you only want internet or also phone credit.
The document below isn’t very clear on the validity periods of SIM cards, so please specify how long you stay on site. Some packs are valid for 15 days, others for 30 days.
Beware of “Unlimited internet access”, once your credit “high speed internet” consumed, you will have internet with a speed of less than 1 MB / second. It may be enough for instant messaging but not much more.
What documents are required?
No documents are required.
I paid directly in cash in VND. I didn’t think to ask if we could pay by card or in USD.
The same store offers to change money if necessary and to book a cab for you.
How to buy a SIM card in an official store?
It may be tempting to go to an official store (outside the airport) to get the “real” rates.
We do not recommend this option unless you wish to take out a subscription because you are staying for several months. The advantage is that if you lose your SIM card for example, you can block the number – which isn’t possible in an unofficial store.
The rates aren’t that advantageous and you will have to fill out a form, present your identity papers, choose between several options, …
All this with a staff that has little chance to speak English.
Even with Anh who is Vietnamese, it took a long, long time 😀
How to buy a SIM card on the street?
You can also buy a SIM card in small phone stores in the street but this is the solution that I do not recommend EXCEPT IF the saleswoman speaks very good English.It is certainly the cheapest option but it requires the most communication with the saleswoman.
To locate these small stores, it is very easy, in front of the store on the huge advertising posters, there is the mention of “SIM” “GB” etc..
The rates are frankly not easy to understand.
For example, the first line means: you can use 2.5GB for 30 days – this package costs 30,000VND/month.
Note: “flat rate” refers to the money automatically deducted from the SIM card balance. If you have money left (pre-paid) on your card, the service continues, otherwise you will need to reload. It isn’t a monthly subscription with automatic transfer as in France.
The SIM card will be sold at 85,000VND, which is at least half the price at the airport.
It is difficult to know if the balance of the account is 85,000VND or just 30,000VND.
And you still need to have some credit to make calls.
For each operator, there are numbers (where you enter as if you were making a phone call) that allow you to view your account balance.
If you don’t stay long, don’t get too excited. Take something that is marked “xxx ngà y” (ngà y = day. xxx is the number of days you stay in Vietnam).
And if you run out of credit, it is possible to buy credit (with a scratch code) and follow the instructions to type in an incredible number of digits before clicking on the “call” button.
The credit (with scratch code) can be purchased at all mini-supermarkets. As soon as you see vendors selling bottled water, chances are they are also selling phone credit. Of course, you have to specify the amount of your purchase (50,000VND is already very good), and the name of your operator.
Then, don’t think you just have to top up your credit to automatically get 3G/4G. No, according to the operators, you then have to choose your 3G/4G plan.
BRIEF, do all this with a Vietnamese friend, or only if the saleswoman speaks very good English and sets everything up for you.
Buy a SIM card before you leave
If you prefer simplicity, it is also possible to buy a SIM card in France, before you leave.
With this offer for example(Amazon link) you can benefit from 120 GB of data (4 GB per day for 30 days) for the very affordable price of 12,23 €.
How do I install the SIM card?
At the airport the saleswoman proposed to install the SIM card for me and do all the steps to choose the 3G/4G package.
Always accept, this will help to verify that it works.
But there is no difficulty, the SIM card is available in 4 standard, mini, micro and nano formats.
Cut the card to the desired size and insert it into your phone.
No activation code, no number to call, your SIM card is operational immediately.
What is the speed of the 4G in Hanoi?
The speed is simply excellent!
During my test I got :
- 34 MB download
- 30 MB in upload
Amply sufficient 🙂
Did you like this article? Discover all our articles about Vietnam here
Recommended hotels in Vietnam :
- Hanoi: a hotel in the old quarter, next to the Lake of the Restored Sword (Ho Guom), for example Essence Palace Hotel & Spa (51€, booking link) or Hanoi Tomodachi House (14€, booking link). On weekends, the whole area around the lake is pedestrian, it is very pleasant.
- Hoi An Discover Vinh Hung Heritage Hotel, the most beautiful hotel, and the only one in the old town of Hoi An, booked months in advance(Booking link). We enjoyed our stay at Green Apple (free bikes, swimming pool, Booking link). Read our Hoi An guide here
- Da Lat: I recommend Edensee (Booking link) (view on lake awwwwwrrggh) and the homestay
- Nha Trang: I recommend Vinpearl (booking link) (at least one night but full board otherwise the round trip to the city takes too much time). It is better to choose the hotels near Tran Phu street otherwise you have to walk too far to go to the beach.
- Ha Long : one night on the boat + one night on Cat Ba island and/or one night on Reu island where is located the 5 stars hotel Vinpearl Ha Long(link Booking) More info, advices and prices on Ha Long here. You can also spend one or two nights on the bay of Ha Long and Ha Lan with the Serenity Cruise boat (link Booking )
- Ninh Binh – Tam Coc: Tam Coc Banana Bungalow (8€, very nice, Booking link). Vietnamese executives prefer a luxury hotel further away, but with a swimming pool and with rooms/houses that look like old country houses: Emeradal Resort Ninh Binh (link Booking )
- Phong Nha: Hang En Hotel, cheap, nice owners, breakfast (banh mi) included. The hotel is right next to the restaurants and the pier for the cellars. Link booking
