Hanoi airport SIM card or eSIM (HAN): land online

Noi Bai has two terminals, an express bus to the city and a free shuttle between them. With the eSIM installed at home, the phone is online as you walk out.

HAN
T1 domestic, T2 international
Free shuttle between terminals
Express bus into the city

Illustration: a traveller steps out of the Noi Bai terminal at dusk, palm trees and white taxis ahead.

The short answer

Install the eSIM at home before you fly to Hanoi (HAN) and switch it on after landing, with data roaming on for the eSIM line. Noi Bai has two terminals, T1 for domestic flights and T2 for international ones, and Express bus 86 runs from the airport to Hanoi Railway Station every 45 minutes.

Checked October 2, 2026

Where the signal holds

Free Wi-Fi
Free at the airport
Noi Bai lists free Wi-Fi, drinking water and battery charging among its utilities for passengers.
4G and 5G
Vietnam's four networks
Viettel, VinaPhone, MobiFone and Vietnamobile all run 4G mobile services, and Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone list 5G as well.
Data roaming on
Your eSIM
The eSIM runs on a Vietnamese network and shows that network's name in your phone's settings. Turn data roaming on for the eSIM line.

Practical notes

Getting into townExpress bus 86 runs between the airport and Hanoi Railway Station every 45 minutes, from 05:15 to 22:10, for 50,000 dong one way. Express bus 68 runs to Ha Dong, from 05:15 to 22:20, for 55,000 dong.
Taxis and pickupsCanadian travel advice warns that fake drivers have targeted arrivals at Noi Bai: arrange your pickup with your hotel or use the authorised airport taxis, and check the driver and the licence plate before you get in.
PayingThe currency is the Vietnamese dong. You must declare cash over 15 million dong or 5,000 US dollars at customs when you arrive.
When to goApril to June and September to December are the clearest months; June to August is hot and rainy, and late December to March is cool and misty, with lows around 10 °C.

Arrival, step by step (Hanoi Noi Bai)

Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you fly, and keep the line switched off. After landing, turn off airplane mode, switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line only. In the terminal, Noi Bai’s free Wi-Fi covers the wait while the line finds its network. If it does not connect, restart the phone once, then work through the checks in the help pages one by one.

The plan for this trip

Illustration: a hand holds a phone showing a QR code beside a lotus flower and a small globe.

15 days · 5 GB a day · US$8.88

Tax included. The plan names its Vietnamese network, and whether it has calls or a number, before you pay.

Buy on VietSIM

Questions

Can I get a Hanoi airport SIM card on arrival?

A SIM card is bought in person, so it means a stop after landing. The eSIM is installed at home before the flight and switched on when you land, so nothing waits at the airport.