Mobile data in Hanoi for visitors
Hanoi's Old Quarter is a knot of narrow streets full of motorbikes, and the quickest way across it is often on the back of one booked in an app. From the city, most visitors head out to Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh or the mountains around Sapa. The Vietnam eSIM uses Viettel, Vinaphone and MobiFone and carries data only, so there is no Vietnamese number and WhatsApp keeps your own.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Vietnam?
- Yes. It connects to Viettel Mobile, Vinaphone, MobiFone (5G).
- Price
- From 6,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 9,99 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Vietnam is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Vietnam. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Noi Bai: bus 86, Grab or Xanh SM
Noi Bai airport lies north of the city, across the Red River, with international flights at Terminal 2 and domestic ones at Terminal 1. Bus 86 is the airport express: it stops at both terminals and runs into the centre past Long Bien and the main post office by Hoan Kiem Lake, ending at Hanoi Railway Station, close to the Old Quarter. Ordinary city buses such as the 17 to Long Bien are slower.
By car, Grab works from the arrivals hall, and Xanh SM, the all-electric taxi brand known in English as Green SM, has pickup points at both terminals and books through its own app. Both need data before you leave the building, so turn on the eSIM line while the plane taxis in; the 15 or 30 days start with that first connection in Vietnam.
eSIM for Vietnam
Data on your phone the moment you land in Vietnam. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Bikes on demand and two metro lines
In the Old Quarter you walk, and the map earns its keep in streets that change name every block. For anything further, Grab and Xanh SM also do motorbike rides, which slip through traffic that keeps cars waiting, and the price is fixed in the app before you ride, so there is nothing to haggle over.
Hanoi has two metro lines: line 2A, elevated, from Cat Linh south-west towards Ha Dong, and the first stretch of line 3, from Nhon towards Cau Giay. They serve those districts more than the lakes and the Old Quarter. Grab and Xanh SM accounts are confirmed with a code by SMS, and the eSIM has no number, so create them at home on your usual line.
Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the night train to Lao Cai
Ha Long Bay and the quieter Lan Ha Bay are a few hours' drive east, usually on a cruise with one or two nights aboard; out among the karsts the signal comes and goes, so keep the boarding details and the transfer contact saved on the phone. Ninh Binh, with Trang An and Tam Coc, is a day trip south by road or train.
For Sapa, the night train runs from Hanoi to Lao Cai and a bus covers the last climb. Lao Cai sits on the Chinese border: a bridge leads across to Hekou, and on that side the Vietnam pack stops working, so a visit needs the China eSIM. Further east along the same border, the Ha Giang loop is long, high and remote; download the offline map of the whole route first.
How much data for Hanoi
Three or four days in Hanoi with Grab rides, maps and food photos are covered by the 3 GB pack, good for 15 days. Add a Ha Long cruise and Ninh Binh and it becomes a 5 GB week on a 30-day pack. If Hanoi is the start of a run down the coast to Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, size it for the whole country, since one pack covers all of Vietnam: 10 GB, also valid for 30 days.
Install it at home on wifi; you can buy it up to 180 days before you fly. The hotspot is included, and if you run short you top up the same eSIM without a new QR code. The data calculator gives a figure for your route, and the networks and packs are on the Vietnam eSIM page.
Which airport bus goes to the Old Quarter?
Bus 86, the airport express. It stops at both Noi Bai terminals and runs past Long Bien and Hoan Kiem Lake to Hanoi Railway Station.
Can I book Xanh SM with this eSIM?
Yes, booking only needs data. Create the account before the trip, because the sign-up code goes by SMS to your usual number.
Does the eSIM work on a Ha Long Bay cruise?
Ha Long is in Vietnam, so the pack covers it, but out among the islands the signal can drop. Keep your boarding details saved on the phone.
Will it work if I cross from Lao Cai to Hekou?
No. Hekou is in China and the Vietnam pack only works in Vietnam. For that side, add the China eSIM.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Vietnam