Mobile phone plans in Vietnam

It's a no brainer to get a SIM card from the national carrier who owns and maintains the network in most Western countries . I had Mobifone SIM cards when I was a tourist in Vietnam but since I've been living and working in Nam I've used the same number and the same plan with Viettel . It's always cost 90k vnd (3 quid) a month for their highly reliable internet connection whilst I'm out and about . Expats will need the internet for Google maps (or the like) although now I usually leave my phone at home because I know where I'm going 90% of the time . As for international calls? It's again a no brainer to download the My Tello app . I loaded it up with $10 during the scamdemic and I've spent literally hours on the phone cumulatively over the years hanging on waiting on customer service help lines in various countries and I still have just under $8 in the account . Trying to save a couple of quid when you're throwing your money down the drain on a rental rip off, Western junk food, motorbike rentals, Grab, or locally brewed Belgium beer, is madness . Get your priorities right . I flip flop on my apartment internet connection between Viettel and VNPT in order to get a new modem every few years . Any internet issues in rented accommodation are usually due to an ancient, and filthy, modem blowing in the wind and the owner not willing to give his internet provider the boot.

    It's a no brainer to get a SIM card from the national carrier who owns and maintains the network in most Western countries . I had Mobifone SIM cards when I was a tourist in Vietnam but since I've been living and working in Nam I've used the same number and the same plan with Viettel . It's always cost 90k vnd (3 quid) a month for their highly reliable internet connection whilst I'm out and about . Expats will need the internet for Google maps (or the like) although now I usually leave my phone at home because I know where I'm going 90% of the time . As for international calls? It's again a no brainer to download the My Tello app . I loaded it up with $10 during the scamdemic and I've spent literally hours on the phone cumulatively over the years hanging on waiting on customer service help lines in various countries and I still have just under $8 in the account . Trying to save a couple of quid when you're throwing your money down the drain on a rental rip off, Western junk food, motorbike rentals, Grab, or locally brewed Belgium beer, is madness . Get your priorities right . I flip flop on my apartment internet connection between Viettel and VNPT in order to get a new modem every few years . Any internet issues in rented accommodation are usually due to an ancient, and filthy, modem blowing in the wind and the owner not willing to give his internet provider the boot.
   

    -@Tediuki

Thanks for the very useful tips ! I will try to remember them next year when we come back to Vũng Tàu !

@Tediuki I'm not familar with My Tello app, I generally call back home through FB messenger but I did put $10 on skype which I used some years ago, but the two times I dialed for other reasons the amount dropped pretty quickly so maybe I will My Tello app.

@Dannyroc3

not familiar with tello. can somebody give a little more detail i.e cost, contract? i have been using magic jack phone. it only can make/receive call to/from the u.s for just 45$usd

Today:

Viettel officially launched 5G network & mobile packages, first in the country

https://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1664966/viettel-officially-launches-5g-network-mobile-packages-first-in-the-country.html

That is cool about mobile 5G in Viet Nam. I just got a mobile 5G capable phone in the States. The 5G is fast, LTE 4G should be ashamed. As to using a phone to call back to the States. As long as the phone was setup in the States with WiFi Calling on the carrier network, it can be used to make and receive calls and SMS over WiFi abroad as long as the State side mobile service is still active. I verified this with US Mobile.

edit: additionally the US carrier service (your US phone number) still needs to be loaded on the Sim/eSim on your phone.

That is cool about mobile 5G in Viet Nam. I just got a mobile 5G capable phone in the States. The 5G is fast, LTE 4G should be ashamed. As to using a phone to call back to the States. As long as the phone was setup in the States with WiFi Calling on the carrier network, it can be used to make and receive calls and SMS over WiFi abroad as long as the State side mobile service is still active. I verified this with US Mobile.edit: additionally the US carrier service (your US phone number) still needs to be loaded on the Sim/eSim on your phone. -@Sj-SEA

I only do this (T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling) when my phone is connecting through a USA VPN.

No charges since I started doing it in July 2022.

However VOIP doesn't have anything to do with the 5G network here.

Instead, the speed of the Wi-Fi connection controls the call.

Here at home in Đà Nẵng we have a Viettel 5G home internet connection, so that (and the VPN quality) governs the quality of my calls to CONUS.

For SMS/texting I don't need to go through a VPN.

It's always free on my T-Mobile plan.

just an added note:

many people traveling to Vietnam on a budget and not really needing a local phone number are able to stay in touch with their native country through WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and Skype and any number of other apps.

Wi-Fi is fairly ubiquitous in Vietnam, so unless a person plans to be out in the country a lot away from Wi-Fi signal, you should always be able to find a place to make a call home.

Even on my father-in-law's farm way out in the boonies of Quảng Ngãi, hai mấy bộ phim connect I'm able to connect to his home Wi-Fi without problem.

Even with an old Android phone you can simply turn off the data and turn on Wi-Fi and your call should go through with any one of those apps.

Since my arrival to VN, I have not had phone service but have just been getting data sim card (bought from a LOCAL VENDER)

which are 100K for 30 days. I can call people back home through facebook or skype.

The only local "calls" I get are from my GF and she calls me through viber.

I might work my way into a regular plan at some point but so far, I have no need.

@Dannyroc3

Viber? I'm very surprised you and she aren't using Zalo.

@Dannyroc3Viber? I'm very surprised you and she aren't using Zalo. -@Aidan in HCMC

My thought exactly.

Personally, I don't trust Viber. Bad experience attempting to use it with Vietnam Cupid contacts back in the day.

As an aside, after more than 6 years I finally got Zalo to officially verify my account identity.

Almost all of my Vietnamese contacts use Zalo. The rest are connected through FB Messenger and only a couple through WhatsApp.

Anybody in the US connecting with unverified (Personals) contacts in Vietnam, I recommend SKYPE.

If she says she only uses Viber, I wouldn't do that.

Today:Viettel officially launched 5G network & mobile packages, first in the countryhttps://vietnamnews.vn/economy/1664966/viettel-officially-launches-5g-network-mobile-packages-first-in-the-country.html-@OceanBeach92107

My wife and I both have the Viettel top tier plan. She immediately began getting a 5G signal but my phone has been stuck on 4G & 4LTE.

It turns out that only iPhones (her) and SAMSUNG 5G phones are currently able to receive the 5G signal.

My Viettel sim is in my OPPO Reno 8 phone, which is a 5G phone but not on the current list of approved devices for 5G service.

I may put the Viettel sim in the 2nd slot of my T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy phone, but that's going to mean reloading high-security financial & communication apps that usually require a trip to the bank.

We'll see...

My Tello is an app . There's no contract or time frame for use . I checked on my usage to various business in the UK and if I'm hanging around waiting for someone to speak to and the entire call lasts for forty minutes the cost is around fourteen cents.

@Tediuki

When I checked on that app, it seems one with a blue logo is available and then one with the same name, with orange logo which says -international calls. Which version or app are you using?