How to Buy a SIM Card in Vietnam in 2026

Buying a SIM card in Vietnam changed in 2026. The airport counters are still there and a tourist plan still costs only a few hundred thousand dong, but new rules mean you should expect a face check as well as your passport when you register, and another check if the SIM later moves to a different phone. This guide explains the three main networks, the airport counters in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, what a tourist SIM costs, how the 2026 registration rules affect visitors, and the eSIMs we sell for Vietnam. They are all on our Vietnam eSIM page.

Viettel, Vinaphone or Mobifone

Vietnam's three main networks are Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone, with Vietnamobile a smaller fourth. Viettel is generally considered the strongest for nationwide coverage, particularly in rural areas, the mountains and the islands. Vinaphone and Mobifone are solid performers in the cities and along the main tourist routes. If your trip is mostly cities and the coast, any of the three will do; if you are heading far off the main routes, Viettel is the safer pick.

At the airport

Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone all have counters in the arrivals halls at Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh City) and Da Nang. The staff register the SIM to your passport, set it up and check that it works before you leave, which is the main advantage of buying there. The disadvantage is price: one guide warns that airport counters charge two to three times the city price for the same product.

Avoid street vendors. One guide notes that they sometimes sell unregistered SIMs that are blocked a few days later.

What a tourist SIM costs

Prices vary by airport, operator and source:

• One guide puts a 30-day package with 30 GB at around 250,000 to 300,000 VND ($10 to $12) at the airport.
• Another gives 100,000 to 150,000 VND at Noi Bai.
• A traveller in Ho Chi Minh City reported a Viettel plan at 300,000 VND and Mobifone options at 250,000 to 350,000 VND.

Check exactly which operator's SIM you are being sold, and ask for the full price before you pay.

The 2026 registration rules

A passport has long been required to register a SIM in Vietnam. Since 15 April 2026, carriers have also matched a foreigner's face at registration, according to one source, and since 15 June 2026 the network detects when a SIM moves to a new phone and asks for identity verification again. The rules come from Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN, issued by the government ministry responsible for telecoms. How they apply to a tourist without a Vietnamese electronic ID was still not clear in October 2026, so expect a photo or face check at the counter, and keep the SIM in the phone you registered it with.

Our eSIMs for Vietnam

Our eSIMs need no counter and no registration in Vietnam: you buy online, install at home, and the data works when you land.

• Global64 10GB: $10 for 7 days, Global64 20GB: $15 for 14 days, and Global64 50GB: $35 for 30 days. Data only, starting on first use, in 64 countries including Vietnam and Thailand.
• Orange World 20GB: $28 for 20 GB, valid 30 days from first use, with a French +33 number, 15 minutes and 50 texts. It also covers Cambodia and Laos, for a trip through the region.
• Global PAYG Data: $20 with €17.50 of credit, good value on the Vinaphone and Viettel networks, topped up as you go and reusable on later trips.

To receive bank codes on a separate number, the O2 SMS Only eSIM gives you a UK number for $8 a month.

Vietnam SIM options compared

Our recommendation

For a one-week trip, Global64 10GB at $10 gets you online in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City without queueing at a counter or dealing with the new registration checks. For two weeks from the north to the south, take Global64 20GB, and if Vietnam is part of a longer trip through Cambodia or Laos, Orange World 20GB covers all three. A local SIM is cheaper per gigabyte if you stay a month and do not mind the passport and face check at the airport counter. Set-up steps are in our eSIM installation guide, and every plan is on the Vietnam eSIM page.