SIM card for Asia from the UAE: Thailand to Vietnam on one plan

eSIM for Asia from AED 11.99 — see plans

We sell travel eSIMs, so we have an interest here. eSIM Go is not affiliated with e&, du, Virgin Mobile UAE or Maxis.

One Asia plan or four country plans for a South-East Asia trip?

For a travel SIM card for Asia that covers Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, one Asia regional plan costs less than four country plans: 5GB for 15 days is AED 31.99, while four 1GB plans for 7 days cost AED 12.99, AED 12.99, AED 14.99 and AED 13.99 (our comparison, 20 Oct 2026).

Pack prices as listed by e&, du and Virgin Mobile on 19 Oct 2026; AED per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in AED at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount.

Two cases reverse that. Unlimited data: country plans sell it at full speed up to 3GB or 5GB a day, then 1 Mbps, and the Asia plan has none. Heavy use: at about 10GB a country, one 50GB Asia plan costs more than four 10GB country plans, though two 20GB Asia plans still cost less (table below). The Asia multi-country plan is one install and one data pool, so 1GB left over in Thailand is still there in Malaysia. Four country plans mean four installs and four separate pools. The 1GB country plan runs 7 days, so a three-day stop leaves four days unused.

Which networks does the Asia plan use in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam?

All four stops of this route are on one Asia plan profile, with 14 more countries; Nepal and the Maldives are not on it (the full list of 18 countries).

On the route, the plan lists AIS, Dtac and True in Thailand; Maxis, Digi and Celcom in Malaysia; StarHub and Singtel in Singapore; and VNPT International in Vietnam. It is data-only, and its days count from your first connection. Install before you fly; it connects when you land in the first country on your route. iPhone sets the APN by itself; on Android you enter it by hand, and your order page shows the value. Adding Bali? Indonesia is on the same plan, on Telkomsel (Indonesia guide).

Do e&, du or Virgin Mobile cover Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam on one pack?

Yes. All four countries sit in e&’s preferred zone, du’s zone A and Virgin Mobile’s pass and pack zone, so one roaming pack covers the whole route. Virgin’s One Country pass, AED 0.00 with Virgin plans of 20GB and more, covers Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore but not Vietnam, and only one country per calendar month.

A week on e& prepaid is AED 100.00 for 4GB (until 10 Jan 2027, normally 2GB) (e&, 19 Oct 2026). du lists postpaid bundles for 7 days: 5GB at AED 70.00, 10GB at AED 100.00 and unlimited at AED 200.00, with no fair-use figure; prepaid 10GB is AED 200.00 (du, 19 Oct 2026). Virgin Mobile sells 20GB for 30 days at AED 300.00 (Virgin Mobile, 19 Oct 2026).

One Country “won’t auto renew”, so you re-activate it in the Virgin app each month, and a four-country loop still needs a pack (Virgin One Country). Keep your UAE SIM switched on for SMS: e& and Virgin don’t charge for SMS you receive abroad, and calls you receive are charged per minute. Rules per operator: e& and du.

How much data does a two-week loop through four countries need?

Two weeks of maps and messaging at 0.3GB a day is 4.2GB across all four countries, so 5GB for 15 days covers it. Two weeks of social media and photos at 0.8GB a day is 11.2GB, which fits the 20GB plan for 30 days. Both daily figures are our estimates, not operator data.

The Asia plan costs less in the first two rows. In the third, two 20GB plans cost less than four 10GB plans, while the 50GB plan costs more. Charged in AED by JET SHARING (USA). Your bank may add a foreign-transaction fee; see how to pay. Size your own trip with the data calculator.

Unlimited data across South-East Asia: what are the options?

There is no unlimited Asia plan on our store. Unlimited across the four countries means four country plans, each at full speed up to 5GB a day in Thailand and 3GB elsewhere, then 1 Mbps. For 3 days each, the price in AED is AED 35.99 in Thailand, AED 42.99 in Malaysia, AED 40.99 in Singapore and AED 44.99 in Vietnam.

Each country also sells a 5-day plan with the same daily limit, and a plan’s days start when you connect in that country. A volume alternative is the Asia 50GB plan for 30 days at AED 219.99: over a 20-day trip, that is 2.5GB a day (our arithmetic). The daily limit is explained in unlimited eSIMs.

When do single-country plans or a local travel SIM make more sense?

Four country plans fit better for unlimited data at full speed up to 3GB or 5GB a day, and for a plan that lists 5G networks. They also suit a stay in one country. The local option is Maxis’s Hotlink Travel SIM, a travel SIM card for Asia at RM25 for 7 days (16 Oct 2026). It works in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, so a route with Vietnam needs a second SIM or an eSIM. Maxis writes the price as “inclusive of 6% SST (applicable for non-Malaysian)”; the rest of its price list is in the Malaysia guide.

Our country plans list True and AIS 5G in Thailand, Maxis 5G in Malaysia, Singtel 5G with M1 LTE in Singapore and VNPT 5G in Vietnam. The Asia plan’s catalogue entry has no network type, so we do not promise 5G on it.

Staying in one country? See the Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam guides. Visiting family for one to three months in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka? The Asia plan also sells 50GB for 90 days and 100GB for 180 days; the India guide compares them.

The plans on this page are data-only: no calls, no SMS, no number. Our eSIMs are for use outside the UAE; they do not provide service in the UAE.

What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in Asia?

Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.

The first is the line for mobile data. On iPhone it is Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data; on Android, the SIM manager. Pick the travel line there; your UAE line stays on for calls and SMS, with its mobile data off.

The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats Asia as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add wbdata on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find a partner network; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.

Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimgo.ae with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.

What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)

For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, AED 18.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 15 days, AED 31.99.

I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If you need calls or SMS on your UAE number every day, roaming on your e&, du or Virgin Mobile line keeps them, and some packs include minutes (compare the packs). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.

FAQ

Get an eSIM for Asia, from AED 11.99 Pay by card in AED. The seller is registered outside the UAE, so some banks may still add a foreign-merchant fee. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by e-mail after payment. See plans