Prepaid SIM card in Vietnam, Taxi questions

Sim cards are a plenty I wouldn't buy one at the airport you may as well wait till you get into town. Make sure your iphone is unlocked, if not you can get it done here ok. MobiSimm, Vietel or Vinaphone are the big 3 here and much the same. I use Mobisimm for no other reason than thats what my cousin gave me on arrival

Taxi's try and avoid the ones parked outside the airport or make sure you get the price settled before you get in. Look out for Maih Link or VinaSun. Those are metered (and correct) It should cost your around 150-200,000 vnd from airport into town depending where. Those meters tend to read double digits, but its fairly obvious as the stickers are easy to read. You will need to pay the airport charge too, around 5000vnd I think.

hth

thanks for answering!
btw how can i find out if my iphone is "unlocked" ?

Hi Melicacy, its MaiLinh, not Maih Link. I'm sure it was just a typo but there are so many fake taxi servicies in this city that one wrong letter can make a huge difference. I've seen Maylinh or MaiLin and ViniSun for etc.

Regarding your iphone, if you are not sure whether its unlocked or not, then its probably not unlocked. If you bought it brand new you would know if it has been unlocked or not as you would have had to get the service done...

Cheers Jvo I did indeed mean MaiLinh, means eyesite is pretty screwed up at the moment.

melicacy check with your mobile provider to see if your phone is unlocked, or borrow an alternative simm from a friend and try it in your phone, if it works great if not you'll need to get it unlocked either there or here.

thanks for the information!! what shop should I buy the sim cards from?
t

You can buy it wherever you see the shop which has the white board with many numbers of price on in front of the door... such as these:

Mobi... 48 95 190
Viettel... 48 95 190
Vina...

These are popular ones used in VN

Enjoy your days and have funs in Saigon
Cheers

We just arrived and got Mobiphone sims, they seem good value. I bough ours from a little shop but I suggest you shop around as we were quoted between 50 and 100 thousand for the same sim.

As to your phone, it depends on the type, if you have an iPhone it is probably not unlocked. If you buy a sim and you can't pick up a signal then your phone is not unlocked.

Hope this helps

Simm is very cheap and and you can buy everywhere. Mobi, Vina, & Viettel are as good as well.

If your iphone can not use the simm, it is locked with your present service supplier. Ask your friend or taxi take you to Le Hong Phong or Hung Vuong street to find a phone shop and ask for unlocking. Price is around 200.000 VND

hi thanks for your informaiton

Vinafone and Viettel are authorized iPhone dealers/repairers. They use iTunes to unlock phones - legally without jalbreaking.

The Vianphone office on the street next to the Main Post office, called Nguyen Du, gives you a selection of 10-20 numbers if you get your SIM there. Take your passport when you buy the SIM.

Mobiphone is a subsidiary of Vinaphone and have an office on the same street as Vinaphone. Their services are cheaper and target younger people.

Mobi and Vina use the same cell network towers, now, so coverage is about the same.

Oh, the prices of prepaid SIMs ain't the same everywhere? That had been the case for most countries I'd been to.

Btw, do they come in micro-SIM? Or do the shops have a cutter? If not I'd have to bring my own.

Am thinking of coming over in August.

ipporek wrote:

Oh, the prices of prepaid SIMs ain't the same everywhere?

VNPT actually charges VND15,000 for a SIM only. The initial SIM includes airtime.

ipporek wrote:

Btw, do they come in micro-SIM? Or do the shops have a cutter? If not I'd have to bring my own.

Some big outfits have cutters, smaller stores use Exacto knives. They also sell micro-SIM adapters.