Vietnam internet guide

Mobile network operators

Vietnam has three major mobile operators, all state-owned or state-controlled:

Viettel: largest operator, owned by the Ministry of Defence. Best 4G/5G coverage nationwide including remote areas ^[1].
VNPT (Vinaphone): second-largest, strong urban coverage, good broadband bundles ^[2].
MobiFone: owned by the Ministry of Information and Communications. Smaller share but competitive pricing ^[3].
Vietnamobile and Gtel (Itel, Reddi): smaller operators offering competitive data-only plans, popular for mobile data.

Tourist SIM (prepaid): available at airport arrivals. 7-30 days unlimited data for 50,000-200,000 VND (2-8 EUR). Passport required for registration.
Standard prepaid SIM: available at operator stores nationwide. Passport + valid visa required. Data packages from 70,000 VND/month for 4 GB; 200,000 VND/month for 30 GB.
Postpaid SIM: requires passport + TRC or long-stay visa + proof of address. Monthly plans from 100,000-400,000 VND for 10-60 GB.
eSIM: supported by Viettel and VNPT. Available for prepaid and postpaid. Online purchase possible for tourist SIMs.
SIM registration law: you must register all SIMs to an individual. The network blocks unregistered SIMs. Top-up requires identity verification if the SIM is newly registered (within the first 30 days).

VNPT Fiber: 150-1,000 Mbps for 150,000-500,000 VND/month (6-20 EUR). Widely available ^[2].
Viettel Fiber: 200-1,000 Mbps for 180,000-500,000 VND/month. Good coverage ^[1].
FPT Telecom: private operator, popular in cities. 200-500 Mbps for 150,000-400,000 VND/month. Good customer service.
CMC Telecom: smaller, focused on business but available in some residential buildings.

Installation: 1-3 working days. Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) is standard in all urban areas. Monthly payment via bank transfer or app.

4G/LTE: excellent in all cities and provincial towns. Rural coverage fair but improving.
5G: Viettel and VNPT offer 5G in major cities (Hanoi, HCMC, Da Nang). Coverage is limited to central districts as of 2026.
Speed test averages (2026): mobile download 30-60 Mbps, upload 10-20 Mbps. Fibre: 100-500 Mbps depending on the plan.
International bandwidth: Vietnam has multiple undersea cables (most notably AAG, APG, SJC2). Connectivity interruptions occur during cable maintenance (2-3 times per year, lasting days to weeks).
Starlink: available in Vietnam for a limited trial period as of 2026 (government-authorized pilot). Not yet generally available.

Prepaid mobile: 70,000-200,000 VND/month for 4-30 GB of data.
Postpaid mobile: 100,000-500,000 VND/month for 10-60 GB + voice.
Broadband: 150,000-500,000 VND/month for 150-1,000 Mbps.
Combined plans: VNPT and Viettel offer mobile + broadband bundles with a 10-20% discount.

WiFi everywhere: cafes, restaurants, and hotels in cities have free WiFi. Speeds variable (2-50 Mbps).
Censorship / firewall: Vietnam operates a national firewall (the "Great Firewall of Vietnam"). Facebook, some news sites, and political content are occasionally blocked. YouTube works. Google Workspace is accessible. Use a VPN to access some home-country services and news sites.
SIM expiry: prepaid SIM credit expires if not topped up within 12 months. Keep a minimum balance to maintain the number.
Phone unlocking: Vietnamese phones are sold unlocked. Dual SIM is standard on most phones.
VPN: widely used among expats for accessing geo-blocked streaming and banking. Not illegal to use but regime restricts VPN providers that bypass the firewall. Consumer VPNs (Nord, Express, Surfshark) work.

Public WiFi: available at airports, shopping centres, and some bus/train stations. Registration required (SMS or app).
Cafe culture: WiFi is standard at all coffee shops. Quality varies but sufficient for messaging and email.
USB tethering: common practice among expats with generous mobile data plans.

This page is indicative. Confirm current packages directly with the operator.