URL: https://esimgo.ae/sim-card/vietnam/
Buy: https://esimgo.ae/esim-vietnam/
Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.ae)
Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.ae/author/
Updated: 17 Oct 2026

# Vietnam SIM card from the UAE: tourist SIM, roaming or a data eSIM

Buying a Vietnam SIM card means showing your passport and, since 2026, passing a face check. Viettel listed a 30-day tourist SIM at 150,000 VND in November 2025, with the SIM itself charged on top. Your e&, du or Virgin Mobile UAE line won't use mobile data in Vietnam without a roaming pack: AED 35.00 a day or AED 70.00 to 200.00 a week. Virgin Mobile's One Country pass does not include Vietnam. A data eSIM on VNPT 5G installs before you fly: 1GB for 7 days is AED 13.99. We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here; eSIM Go is not affiliated with Viettel, MobiFone, VNPT, e&, du or Virgin Mobile UAE.

## Data in Vietnam from the UAE: the options side by side

A Vietnam SIM card is one of three routes to mobile data, next to a roaming pack on your UAE line and a data eSIM from us; the local route means Viettel or MobiFone. Only the local card asks for your passport and a face check; the pack and the eSIM can be bought in the UAE before you fly.

| Route | Price we found | What it asks of you | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viettel tourist SIM | 150,000 VND for 30 days, 5GB a day (guide of 20 Nov 2025) | Original passport, face check | None listed; a 180,000 VND plan adds minutes |
| MobiFone Hi Vietnam eSIM | Free, with 8GB (news of 16 Dec 2025) | Not stated | 10 domestic minutes free for 24 hours |
| Pack on an e&, du or Virgin Mobile UAE line | AED 70.00 to 200.00 for 7 days | Nothing | Your UAE number, calls charged per minute |
| Data eSIM | AED 13.99 for 1GB, 7 days | No ID check | None (data-only) |

Local prices stay in dong, as the operator printed them; the price in AED is only for the pack and the eSIM.

## Tourist SIMs in Vietnam: Viettel and MobiFone

A tourist Vietnam SIM card from Viettel is sold at airport kiosks and its own stores; its guide of 20 Nov 2025 lists 150,000 VND for 30 days at 5GB a day. MobiFone's Hi Vietnam app gave visitors a free eSIM with 8GB (news of 16 Dec 2025). We could not confirm either offer is current on 16 Oct 2026.

Viettel's guide lists two 30-day plans and warns that "the package fee does not include the SIM price".

| Viettel plan (guide of 20 Nov 2025) | Price, VND | Included | VND per day over 30 days (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5G150T | 150,000 | 5GB a day | 5,000 |
| 5G180H | 180,000 | 5GB a day, 30 on-net and 15 off-net minutes | 6,000 |

Both plans run 30 days whatever your stay: on a 5-day trip the 150,000 VND plan costs 30,000 VND for each day you use it, against 5,000 over the full month. The prices come from an eleven-month-old guide, not a tariff page; ask the kiosk what it charges today.

Viettel names "airport kiosks, official Viettel Stores or authorized Points of Sale across Vietnam". At Noi Bai T2, Tan Son Nhat international and Da Nang international, look in the arrival hall for signs reading "Tourist SIM" or "SIM Du Lịch".

A MobiFone news item of 16 Dec 2025 on its Hi Vietnam app says each visitor is given one MobiFone eSIM with 8GB of data (our translation from Vietnamese), plus 10 minutes of free domestic calls for 24 hours and foreign-language support around the clock. It does not say how long the 8GB lasts, what a top-up costs or which documents the app asks for. We have no data on Vinaphone's tourist SIM.

## e&, du and Virgin Mobile in Vietnam: no One Country

Vietnam is in the main roaming zone of e&, du and Virgin Mobile UAE: 1-day packs cost AED 35.00 and 7-day data packs AED 70.00 to 200.00. Virgin Mobile's free One Country pass does not list Vietnam, so a Virgin line needs a paid pack too (15 Oct 2026, 15 Oct 2026, 15 Oct 2026).

A pack replaces a Vietnam SIM card for data but gives no local number, so count the days before you pick one. e&'s Roaming Daily Data is AED 35.00 for 500MB, then 64 kbps, so five days cost AED 175.00 for 2.5GB, more than the AED 100.00 weekly pack on prepaid. e&'s prepaid Weekly Data pack is AED 100.00 for 4GB until 10 Jan 2027 (2GB normally), and its days start "upon first eligible usage". du lists 5GB for 7 days at AED 70.00 on postpaid and 10GB at AED 100.00 (AED 200.00 on prepaid). Virgin Mobile UAE sells 2GB for 7 days at AED 100.00 and 10GB at AED 200.00, with validity that "will begin once the first call is received or made". Pack rules: [e&](/roaming/etisalat/) and [du](/roaming/du/).

du's pages disagree on when its postpaid data bundles start, so buy one shortly before you fly and check the activation note in the du app.

Virgin's pass is free on plans of 20GB and up, one country a month. [Thailand](/sim-card/thailand/), Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines are on the [Virgin One Country](/roaming/virgin-mobile/) list (34 countries on the page, 15 Oct 2026); Vietnam is not. du also sells its own travel eSIM in US dollars: for Vietnam, 10GB for 30 days is US$27, about AED 99.16 ([du.ae/travelesim](https://www.du.ae/travelesim), 15 Oct 2026).

## Registering a SIM in Vietnam: passport and a face check

Every local line in Vietnam is tied to a verified holder. A foreign visitor shows a passport valid for the stay (Decree 163/2024/ND-CP), and Circular 08/2026, in force since 15 Apr 2026, adds face biometrics, checked in the operator's app or at its points of sale. Our data eSIM has no ID check.

A Vietnamese government portal summary of 29 Dec 2024 says a foreigner registers with a passport valid for the stay under the entry visa or the visa-free limit, or with an electronic ID account. For the first three prepaid numbers on a network, the buyer shows the document and signs a subscriber confirmation. The circular's authentication data include face biometrics, and its Article 8 applies from 15 Jun 2026.

Viettel's guide says digital copies of a passport are not valid and you need the original. Neither source describes how the face check runs for a visitor at a kiosk, so we have no data on it.

Our Vietnam eSIM joins the local network of VNPT on 5G. Unlike a Vietnam SIM card bought at the airport, it installs before you fly; it connects when you land in Vietnam, and the days count from that first connection. The price in AED for 10GB over 30 days is AED 66.99.

The unlimited plans run 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 30 days at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps; the 7-day plan is AED 104.99, about AED 15.00 a day (our arithmetic). Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see [how to pay](/how-to-pay/). iPhone and Android both set the APN by themselves, and you can add data to a plan. Every size is on [Vietnam eSIM plans](/esim-vietnam/); for several Asian countries see the regional plan on [Asia eSIM plans](/esim-asia/), and for the daily limit see [unlimited eSIMs](/esim-unlimited/).

Our eSIMs for Vietnam are data-only — keep your UAE number on your main SIM for calls and SMS. e& and Virgin Mobile don't charge for SMS you receive abroad; calls you receive are charged per minute, AED 4.25 on e& outside the GCC (15 Oct 2026). We found no du price for SMS you receive abroad. Setup: [keep your UAE number](/help/keep-your-uae-number/).

Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE. If the eSIM has not connected to any network, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.

## FAQ

### What do I need to buy a SIM in Vietnam?

To buy a Vietnam SIM card you need a passport valid for your stay and, since Circular 08/2026, a face check in the operator's app or at the point of sale. Viettel's guide of 20 Nov 2025 says you need the original passport; digital copies are not valid. A data eSIM from us needs no ID.

### Where can I buy a tourist SIM at the airport?

Viettel's guide of 20 Nov 2025 names airport kiosks at Noi Bai T2, Tan Son Nhat international and Da Nang international, in the arrival hall under signs reading "Tourist SIM" or "SIM Du Lịch". We could not confirm on 16 Oct 2026 that the kiosks still sell the same plans.

### Is Vietnam in Virgin One Country?

No. Vietnam is not among the 34 countries on the Virgin Mobile UAE One Country page (15 Oct 2026). A Virgin line needs a paid roaming pack there: 2GB for 7 days is AED 100.00 and 10GB is AED 200.00.

### Is there an unlimited eSIM for Vietnam?

Yes. Our Vietnam plans include unlimited data for 3 to 30 days, at full speed up to 3GB a day, then 1 Mbps. The 7-day plan is AED 104.99. du lists an unlimited 7-day bundle at AED 200.00 on postpaid, with no fair-use figure (15 Oct 2026).

### Does my UAE SIM use data in Vietnam without a pack?

No. Your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line won't use mobile data abroad unless you add a roaming pack (e& lets you unlock pay-as-you-go data for 24 hours by SMS). Vietnam is in the main roaming zone of all three, with packs from AED 35.00 for one day (15 Oct 2026).

## Sources

- Vietnamese government portal, SIM registration documents and authentication methods: xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn (29 Dec 2024; 16 Oct 2026)
- Viettel, eSIM for Vietnam guide: shop.viettel.vn (20 Nov 2025)
- MobiFone, Hi Vietnam app news: mobifone.vn (16 Dec 2025)
- e&, roaming packs and rates: eand.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- du, roaming bundles and FAQ: du.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- du, travel eSIM prices: du.ae (15 Oct 2026)
- Virgin Mobile UAE, roaming packs and One Country: virginmobile.ae (15 Oct 2026)