Cost of smart phone

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

Fred wrote:

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

Thank you, I realise this, what I want to know is should I buy a phone in Vietnam or Europe. Which would be better value?

Malcolmleitrim wrote:

Fred wrote:

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

Thank you, I realise this, what I want to know is should I buy a phone in Vietnam or Europe. Which would be better value?

Do a search online and compare.

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    "should I buy a phone in Vietnam or Europe. Which would be better value?"

           Dunno.   I have bought both in Ha Noi and Oztralia...

        No difference in prices.   ..and I insist on being a scunge...     

        * hint: get 4G + LTE (Long Term Evolution)    (last longer...)     
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iPhones ( real) are not cheap in Asia. Knockoffs or lesser name brands are affordable. most imported high end brand name items , clothes, electronics, etc etc etc, are cheaper in the west.
I always bring my backup and purchase a SIM card upon arrival.
Bazza is correct in saying iPhones are priced similarly.

Fred wrote:

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

I don't know which type is prevalent in Ireland where the OP is from, but worldwide there are two kinds of networks, CDMA and GSM.  I think a phone has to be GSM to work with Vietnamese SIM cards.

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THIGV wrote:

Fred wrote:

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

I don't know which type is prevalent in Ireland where the OP is from, but worldwide there are two kinds of networks, CDMA and GSM.  I think a phone has to be GSM to work with Vietnamese SIM cards.

Go Ogle tells us:
          CDMA vs GSM;  which is better?
First, neither GSM or CDMA is technically better; they ultimately provide the same service and the quality of a network depends on the carrier, not the cellular standard used. Second, GSM phones can be unlocked and switch carriers, whereas CDMA phones are locked to a carrier.
Aug 21, 2014

                ..mine are always unlocked...     
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I got an Iphone 5-32 for 1.100.000 d off Facebook (Marketplace). If it's working well, cloud-unlocked and takes your SIM, you won't go wrong with a sub $ 50 solution versus some Chinese junk phone costing like $ 79 new.

Regarding networks, Vinaphone has a 89 k a month prepaid plan with 2 gb a day and 50 minutes. Beat that!

Its Wld Wild East n Vietnam.  Anything goes.  Good cellphone are not cheap in Vietnam.  Many relatives ask me to buy them phones and bring them into Vietnam. In Vietnam you don't know if refurbished or fakes phones are sold as new real ones.   Best to buy something cheap abd certified real where you are located.  Make sure it's unlocked, works on GSM network.  Importantly, the frequency bands must be compatible with the phone.

https://www.worldtimezone.com/gsm.htmlHttp://gsmarena.com

Personally I use OnePlus any variant of it.  It works well.  It has dual sim support so i don't have to keep replacing Sims at destination. 

Good luck to you

THIGV wrote:

Fred wrote:

Phones will work if  the thing is unlocked to any network

I don't know which type is prevalent in Ireland where the OP is from, but worldwide there are two kinds of networks, CDMA and GSM.  I think a phone has to be GSM to work with Vietnamese SIM cards.

Thanks THIGV... How can you tell if the phone is CDMA or GSM? Is there any type of code on the phone itself that will tell you what type it is?  Or you just have to go by what the seller said?  In Vietnam.... I would not trust it.

You know if the phone is GSM compatible if the frequency  band supported are as follows: 900,1800 for viếtnam carriers.
You can get these specs from websites such as gsmarena dot com.  So far for me, unlocked Samsung s7, LG G2, iPhone 5, oneplus 3,3t,6,6t but any unlocked GSM would work. 

GSM :  900,1800
UMTS: 2100,1900

Bazza139 wrote:

Second, GSM phones can be unlocked and switch carriers, whereas CDMA phones are locked to a carrier.
Aug 21, 2014
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I am not too technical but I am not sure if this is still true in 2019.  My brother who frequently travels to Europe for work, has an unlocked Verizon (CDMA) phone but uses locally purchased CDMA cards for use in his phone when he is there.

Rahj_Devon wrote:

How can you tell if the phone is CDMA or GSM? Is there any type of code on the phone itself that will tell you what type it is?  Or you just have to go by what the seller said?  In Vietnam.... I would not trust it.

There may be a code built into the serial number but If both you and the seller are in Vietnam, you can check pretty easily simply by putting a local SIM card into the phone.  If it works, it works.  Buying the phone in Europe could be a problem but should be OK if you can check it with a known GSM SIM card. 

My wife just bought an unlocked refurbished GSM iPhone 6 to bring for her brother.  She paid $230.00 so I am curious how that compares to a refurbished iPhone 6 in Vietnam.  I have never heard of anyone from Hawaii taking an unlocked phone that had previously been with GSM carriers (AT&T or T-Mobile) and have it not work in Vietnam.

The availability of really inexpensive Android phones that aren't available outside Asia makes this a no-brainer for me personally. Get your phone here

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

The availability of really inexpensive Android phones that aren't available outside Asia makes this a no-brainer for me personally. Get your phone here

You need to appreciate the cache that the Apple iPhone brand has with Vietnamese.  A lot of Vietnamese do not even have the full advantage of having a Apple account that gives them full access to apps, yet they immediately recognize the latest model when someone pulls it out in the coffee shop.     With respect to actual differences, I have used both Apple and high quality Android phones and while I like the independence of Android, the higher build quality of the iPhone is evident if you have owned both.

One advantage of locally available Android products is with tablets.  Most tables sold in Vietnam have phones built in, in contrast to the same models sold in the US.  This allows users to conveniently add internet "time" by using readily available scratch type phone cards.  I don't know exactly how it worked, but I know a friend who had an iPad had to bring it in to his carrier to add minutes.

THIGV wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

The availability of really inexpensive Android phones that aren't available outside Asia makes this a no-brainer for me personally. Get your phone here

You need to appreciate the cache that the Apple iPhone brand has with Vietnamese.  A lot of Vietnamese do not even have the full advantage of having a Apple account that gives them full access to apps, yet they immediately recognize the latest model when someone pulls it out in the coffee shop.     With respect to actual differences, I have used both Apple and high quality Android phones and while I like the independence of Android, the higher build quality of the iPhone is evident if you have owned both.

One advantage of locally available Android products is with tablets.  Most tables sold in Vietnam have phones built in, in contrast to the same models sold in the US.  This allows users to conveniently add internet "time" by using readily available scratch type phone cards.  I don't know exactly how it worked, but I know a friend who had an iPad had to bring it in to his carrier to add minutes.

"You Need" to notice that the OP made no mention of iPhone specifically.

The inference seemed clear that the question was about function, not form.

Are you saying that OP should get an iPhone to impress the Vietnamese people he meets?

I have a few friends here (Vietnamese and expats) who posses those durable iPhones (iPhone 5 is what I think a few said).

They complain that the phone keeps on ticking, but has become slower with outdated features.

With new android smartphones running in the low hundreds of U.S. Dollars here, and without knowing for sure if a phone OP might buy in Ireland would work here, it seems the wisest advice is to encourage shopping and stimulating the economy here. 

You make some good points about android tablets and calling functions.

However, how will he hold one to talk while he's riding on his motorbike? 😁😁😁

Note to the OP: I make almost all of my calls here using apps on Wifi: Zalo, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and (especially good for toll-free calls in America) Skype.

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.

OceanBeach, you are correct I didn't mention iPhone, I'm quite happy with an android phone. Like you, I make almost all my calls using apps on my iPad, but I have an issue with my bank, they like to contact me occasionally about my card usage etc and insist on sending a SMS to my Irish phone which I obviously don't use in Vietnam! I am trying to persuade them to message me in the future to a Vietnamese phone which I do not yet own. This is the crux of the matter, if it wasn't for the effing bank I would be quite content with my iPad.

Malcolmleitrim wrote:

I have an issue with my bank, they like to contact me occasionally about my card usage etc and insist on sending a SMS to my Irish phone which I obviously don't use in Vietnam.

Mine is doing the same thing, and although they know I live in VN, they've never figured out that they should send verification code to that number.  I've to make sure to deal with them only when my daughter in California can stand by with her phone.

THIGV wrote:

My wife just bought an unlocked refurbished GSM iPhone 6 to bring for her brother.  She paid $230.00 so I am curious how that compares to a refurbished iPhone 6 in Vietnam.  I have never heard of anyone from Hawaii taking an unlocked phone that had previously been with GSM carriers (AT&T or T-Mobile) and have it not work in Vietnam.

Agree.  My iPhone 7 with T-Mobile (unlocked per my request) has been working in VN without any issue from day one.

BTW, the younger Vietnamese (including my not-very-young 62 year old nephew) prefer phones with excellent cameras and special camera features, meaning not iPhone.  I've always thought iPhone has good camera, but the photos I've taken with my phone cannot be compared with theirs.

Malcolmleitrim wrote:

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.

OceanBeach, you are correct I didn't mention iPhone, I'm quite happy with an android phone. Like you, I make almost all my calls using apps on my iPad, but I have an issue with my bank, they like to contact me occasionally about my card usage etc and insist on sending a SMS to my Irish phone which I obviously don't use in Vietnam! I am trying to persuade them to message me in the future to a Vietnamese phone which I do not yet own. This is the crux of the matter, if it wasn't for the effing bank I would be quite content with my iPad.

I'm just now running into a similar problem with U.S. Bank. I ported one of my numbers to Google Voice a few years ago, and they have been sending text alerts to that number ever since. Alerts end up in Google Hangouts, so I get them instantly in Vietnam. PayPal also uses that number for verification.

However, US Bank is rolling out a new app version that will require a physical US mobile carrier phone number, and my Google Voice number doesn't qualify.

I spent a LONG time with them on the phone (via Skype, to their toll-free number) but they aren't budging. No VOIP allowed.  Apparently I'll still be able to access my account through my android Chrome browser.

Charles Schwab isn't causing me any problems EXCEPT the app stopped working here for me recently. However, using a Virtual Private Network (I use NordVPN) through the United States allows the app to function properly, for now...

You might want to look into a dual sim phone purchased in Ireland that would allow you to have an Irish prepaid SIM and also takes a Vietnamese SIM. You wouldn't use the Irish SIM here, but your bank would accept the number.

Then find a way to have any text messages forwarded from that Irish number to an app which would give an instant readout here.

One idea...

Ciambella wrote:

Malcolmleitrim wrote:

I have an issue with my bank, they like to contact me occasionally about my card usage etc and insist on sending a SMS to my Irish phone which I obviously don't use in Vietnam.

Mine is doing the same thing, and although they know I live in VN, they've never figured out that they should send verification code to that number.  I've to make sure to deal with them only when my daughter in California can stand by with her phone.

It really is ridiculous isn't it? I have put travel notes on my account, spoken to several people at the bank centre and still found myself unable to pay a hotel bill with my credit card because they had blocked it "due to suspicious activity". When pressed, this "suspicious activity" turned out to be me trying to make a booking on Hotels.com as if this was an unusual thing to do while travelling!
It's very frustrating and I have even considered opening a Vietnamese bank account, but that might create more problems than it solved.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

You might want to look into a dual sim phone purchased in Ireland that would allow you to have an Irish prepaid SIM and also takes a Vietnamese SIM. You wouldn't use the Irish SIM here, but your bank would accept the number.

Then find a way to have any text messages forwarded from that Irish number to an app which would give an instant readout here.

One idea...

Thank you for the suggestion, but it sounds a bit complicated. I'm not very tech savvy and it really should be quite simple to solve this. I have asked the bank to email me rather than SMS but no luck there, I have suggested the idea of using a Vietnamese number to them, but they don't really want to budge from their system.
It seems absurd because common sense should tell them that I am unlikely to be using an Irish phone in Vietnam. Lots of other people must surely encounter this problem.

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    "It seems absurd because common sense should tell them that I am unlikely to be using an Irish phone in Vietnam. Lots of other people must surely encounter this problem"

   Aha!   ..there's the problem...     

   You are using  'absurd', 'common sense' + 'I am unlikely to be'
   ..in the same sentence - in Viet Nam (!!!)...    (Sacre' Bleu!!)                

     Sorry, but that is the 3xi's: irrational, incompetent, invalid...

   ..we won't go near improbable, irregular or insipid...     

    My only promise is to resist the rest of the list... 
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Bazza139 wrote:

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    "It seems absurd because common sense should tell them that I am unlikely to be using an Irish phone in Vietnam. Lots of other people must surely encounter this problem"

   Aha!   ..there's the problem...     

   You are using  'absurd', 'common sense' + 'I am unlikely to be'
   ..in the same sentence - in Viet Nam (!!!)...    (Sacre' Bleu!!)                

     Sorry, but that is the 3xi's: irrational, incompetent, invalid...

   ..we won't go near improbable, irregular or insipid...     

    My only promise is to resist the rest of the list... 
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I understand your point, but the problem is with an Irish bank or the international banking system, it's got nothing to do with Vietnam as a country.

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    "but the problem is with an Irish bank or the international banking system, it's got nothing to do with Vietnam as a country"

    Sadly, I always have probs. with the Foo in facetious, but...

    ..Ireland being in my DNA; I'm forced to agree...

    I use a Oztralian SIM card during my (forced) returns

               Banks..?    I use (their) systems against themselves     

                     Can't relate to the rest; my system worx fer me...     
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T-Mobile in the US used to have free texting (and data) while in Vietnam but unfortunately recently dropped Vietnam from the country list for that feature.  At any rate, It may be best for Americans with Viet ties to stay away from T-Mobile until the proposed merger with Sprint is decided by the government, as Sprint is CDMA.

Look for a carrier, in whatever country you are from, that will deliver text messages to Vietnam the way T-Mobile used to.  Of course that is a big "if."  Then you could employ a cheap no features phone with the cheapest texting plan, and give that number to the bank.  A prepaid phone plan might work even better as there are no recurring charges.

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  "A prepaid phone plan might work even better as there are no recurring charges"

     ..works for me...     
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OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Are you saying that OP should get an iPhone to impress the Vietnamese people he meets?

Sorry if I was not clear but I meant that Vietnamese  were impressed with the status angle of the iPhone. Of course westerners may be impressed with an iPhone as well but only if they are under 25 years old.   

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

You make some good points about android tablets and calling functions.  However, how will he hold one to talk while he's riding on his motorbike? 😁😁😁

Funny, but I will assume you understood that the advantage of having a phone built in had to do with adding minutes (or GB) of internet and not actual talking.  I did have a 7 inch Samsung (phablet?) while in Vietnam but I regretted the choice.  I found it very difficult outside of the home as it scarcely fit in my pockets.

Get a Samsung global phone.
All bands all frequencies inside.
I got my s8 from a Samsung store.
Alittle expensive  but well worth the investment.

https://www.thegioididong.com/dtdd

Thanks for all your suggestions, I have now bought a Samsung A10 which takes two SIM's, so hopefully that will work out.