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

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.

Pack prices as listed by e&, du and Virgin Mobile on 15 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.

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”.

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& and 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, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines are on the Virgin One Country 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, 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. iPhone and Android both set the APN by themselves, and you can add data to a plan. Every size is on Vietnam eSIM plans; for several Asian countries see the regional plan on Asia eSIM plans, and for the daily limit see unlimited eSIMs.

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.

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.

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

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 Vietnam as roaming for it.

The third is the APN. On this plan it sets itself, so leave it alone; you don’t need to type one.

The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch airplane mode on and off, and let it find VNPT; 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 13.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, AED 27.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, AED 104.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.

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 Vietnam, from AED 13.99 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