eSIM or a SIM card for Vietnam: which fits your trip
Both get you online in Vietnam. They differ in where you buy them, what you show, and when they start working.
- No shop visit
- Passport needed for a SIM
- Calls or a number on some plans
The short answer
An eSIM from this site installs at home and gets you online after landing, with no shop visit. A SIM card bought in Vietnam is registered at the point of sale, with your original passport, and it gives you a Vietnamese number; some eSIM plans include one too.
Checked October 2, 2026
eSIM against a SIM card bought in Vietnam
Where you buy it
- eSIM from this site
- Online, before you fly
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- At an airport counter or a shop in Vietnam
What you show
- eSIM from this site
- Nothing
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- Your original passport, shown as the shop registers the line
Network
- eSIM from this site
- The Vietnamese network named on your plan
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- Whichever network runs the counter or shop where you buy
Phone number
- eSIM from this site
- Data only, or a Vietnamese number on some plans
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- A Vietnamese number
Your own number
- eSIM from this site
- Stays on in the phone
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- Stays on, provided the phone holds two SIMs
Refund
- eSIM from this site
- A full refund if it fails and cannot be fixed
- A SIM card bought in Vietnam
- The shop's rules
When a SIM card makes sense
A SIM card bought in Vietnam runs on one of the country’s networks: Viettel, VinaPhone, MobiFone or Vietnamobile. It gives you a Vietnamese number, and packages are sold in dong. Buying the card registers the line, and the shop will ask to see your original passport.
When the eSIM makes sense
The eSIM sits in your phone well before boarding, which means no shop and no queue once the flight lands. Once you have landed, the eSIM takes over mobile data, and your usual SIM remains in the phone for calls and bank codes. Should the line fail to connect, switch data roaming on for the eSIM line: the store names that switch as the remedy for a line that will not start.
The plan for this trip
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 VietSIMQuestions
Do I need a Vietnamese phone number?
Only if you need to receive Vietnamese calls or texts. Some plans here include a Vietnamese number or calls, and each card says which before you pay; on the others, WhatsApp keeps your own number.
Do I need my passport to get online in Vietnam?
For a SIM card, yes: it is registered at the point of sale, with your original passport. For the eSIM, you buy it online before you fly and install it from the QR code on your order page.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
Get your Vietnam eSIM before you fly.
Plans from US$5.88, tax included, on Vietnam’s own networks. Pick one here and pay on the store in US dollars.
See the plansCheckout on VietSIM · full refund if it does not work