Vietnam SIM card and eSIM in Da Nang: tourist plans, prices and the 2026 face check

Some visitors want a Vietnam SIM card in hand before they leave the airport; others want an eSIM set up on their phone so they never queue at a counter. Both work in Da Nang, but a face check and a rule about switching phones, both added in 2026, apply to either choice. As of October 2, 2026, several plans that other travel guides list do not appear on the operators' own websites.

Which tourist SIM or eSIM plan to buy

Match the plan to the length of your stay, because the operators price by days. For a Vietnam tourist eSIM, Viettel's data-only 30-day plan, 5G150T, costs 150,000 VND (about US$6) for 5GB of data a day, plus the price of the SIM. MobiFone's Hi Vietnam app sells eSIM plans from 80,000 VND (about US$3) for 3 days. The table lists tourist plans from Viettel's, MobiFone's and Vietnamobile's own websites, as of October 2, 2026.

The Viettel prices are for the plan only, without the SIM. Viettel's 5G150T is data only, and 5G180H adds 30 minutes of calls to Viettel numbers and 15 minutes to other networks. Viettel's November 2025 guide calls its tourist packages all-in-one, yet it gives no SIM price, so ask at the counter for the total. Booking sites give a rough idea. On October 13, 2026, KKday sold a data-only Viettel eSIM with 5GB a day for 30 days at US$10.80, shown as 46% off US$19.90. Expedia sold a 30-day SIM with 6GB a day and calls, collected at Da Nang airport, at US$12. Vietnamobile's GO10 is a tourist SIM card, and calls cost 2,000 VND (about US$0.08) a minute.

MobiFone's minutes are for calls within Vietnam, and its app also offers a free 24-hour welcome plan, HVN0, with 8GB of data and 10 minutes of calls. VinaPhone's tourist SIM page on vnpt.vn dates from 2019, so ask at one of its stores which plans it sells.

International eSIMs: Airalo, Holafly and others

If you want data the moment you land, you can buy an eSIM from an international seller before you fly, but it usually costs more than a local plan for the same data. On October 13, 2026, these sellers' own websites listed these 30-day plans for Vietnam, among others:

For the same 30 days, Viettel's 5G150T gives 5GB a day for 150,000 VND (about US$6) before the SIM. Ubigi's unlimited plan slows to 2 Mbps after 60GB. Airalo names VNPT as its primary network and Ubigi lists VNPT, and Nomad lists Vietnamobile, MobiFone and VinaPhone. For calls, Ubigi says its eSIM comes with no phone number, Airalo sells data-only eSIMs, Holafly says its Vietnam eSIM has no local phone number for calls or texts, and Nomad says only that some of its eSIMs include a local number. As of October 13, 2026, none of these four sellers' Vietnam pages says whether Vietnam's 2026 face check applies to its eSIMs.

Bring your passport: the 2026 face check

Take your original passport to the counter, because Viettel says a digital copy will not do. Under Decree 163/2024/ND-CP, foreigners register a number with a passport that is valid for their visa or visa-free stay. Since April 15, 2026, Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN has also required operators to check your face against Vietnam's immigration database, and an operator can switch on a new number only after that check is complete.

For numbers registered with a passport, the operator must also carry out the extra checks set out in the decree for each number, including a video call and a one-time code sent to the SIM you registered before when you add another. Buy a Vietnamese number only from an operator's own store, its authorized outlets or its own app, because the decree lists these as the places where numbers can be registered.

Viettel's eSIM guide from November 2025 lists a direct photo of your passport, a live selfie and an e-signature, and asks you to keep your hotel's address handy. MobiFone's app page from March 2026 lists a passport photo, an identity check, a video call and an e-signature, then a call to 900 to activate the eSIM. Both pages predate the April 15, 2026, rule, so ask at the counter or check the app for any extra step.

Keep the SIM in the phone you registered it in. Since June 15, 2026, moving a SIM to another phone stops its outgoing calls and texts within 2 hours until you verify the number again, and you must complete that verification within 30 days or risk losing the number.

If you kept a Vietnamese number from an earlier trip, check that it still works. Numbers registered with a passport had to be verified again within 60 days of April 15, 2026, or lose outgoing calls and texts. The rules are enforced: on June 15, 2026, Viettel blocked outgoing calls and texts on more than 5 million numbers whose verification was not complete.

Buying a SIM at Da Nang airport

Buy your SIM before you leave the terminal if you need data for a ride. At the international terminal (T2), the airport says SIM counters are in the baggage claim area and open at any time, and the domestic terminal (T1) has counters too. Viettel says it also sells in the international arrival hall, so look for its red-and-white logo and "Tourist SIM" signs.

The airport does not say which operators have counters. At Viettel's counter you can pay in dong cash, by Visa or Mastercard, or by QR code. For changing money and the ATMs in the arrivals hall, see currency exchange in Da Nang.

eSIM: what your phone needs

Check your phone before you rely on an eSIM, because it must support eSIM and must not be locked to your home carrier. On an iPhone, look under Settings, then Cellular, for "Add eSIM". Viettel lists the iPhone XR and later as supported, with support varying by country.

Viettel's November 2025 guide says that for its tourist eSIM, you scan the QR code on the pack, take a photo of your passport and a live selfie, and enter your email address to receive the eSIM. Viettel's eSIM help page says its eSIM QR codes are valid for 6 months, and the November 2025 guide says your home SIM stays active alongside the eSIM. To check your Viettel data and expiry date, text KTTK to 191 or dial *098#. You buy MobiFone's Hi Vietnam eSIM and its plans in the app, and you pay with Visa or Mastercard.

Operator stores in the city

Go to an operator's own store if you need help after you arrive, for example to verify a number again. These are some of the stores the operators list in Da Nang and Hoi An:

• Viettel: 95 Hung Vuong, Hai Chau ward, and 675 Ngo Quyen, An Hai ward. Viettel does not list their hours.
• MobiFone: 167 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Hai Chau ward, 7:30 am–7:30 pm, and 193 Hoang Dieu, Hai Chau ward, 7:30 am–8:00 pm every day.
• VinaPhone (VNPT): 50 Nguyen Van Linh, Hai Chau ward, 7:00 am–7:00 pm, and in Hoi An at 06B Tran Hung Dao, Hoi An ward, 7:00–11:30 am and 1:30–5:00 pm every day.

5G in Da Nang

Use a 5G phone if you have one, because the three big operators all run 5G in Da Nang. Viettel launched 5G on October 15, 2024, VinaPhone's 5G was available in all 63 provinces by December 20, 2024, and MobiFone launched 5G on March 26, 2025. Viettel and MobiFone say a 4G SIM works on 5G if your phone supports it.

In January 2026, Da Nang had the fastest average 5G download speed of any province or city in Vietnam, 677.23 Mbps, in i-Speed measurements reported by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Once you are connected, see how to get from Da Nang to Hoi An for the bus, Grab and taxi options.

Sources and how we checked

For the plan prices in the table we used only the operators' own websites, viewed on October 2, 2026. We also used the texts of the decree and circular, a dated news report on blocked numbers, and the airport's and Danang Fantasticity's pages for the counters. We left out plans that appear only in other travel guides, and we could not find a VinaPhone tourist plan published after 2019 or the price of a Viettel SIM. US dollar amounts use Vietcombank's transfer rate of 25,800 VND per US$ on October 1, 2026, rounded to the nearest cent below US$1, US$0.5 up to US$100, US$1 up to US$10,000 and US$1,000 above that. Booking-site prices are shown in US dollars as listed on October 13, 2026.

• Viettel: tourist eSIM guide and plans (November 20, 2025); eSIM help page (in Vietnamese); store finder; 5G launch (October 15, 2024).
• MobiFone (in Vietnamese): Hi Vietnam plans (March 18, 2026); store finder; 5G launch (March 26, 2025).
• Vietnamobile, Tourist SIM GO10 (April 23, 2026).
• VNPT (VinaPhone): Tourist SIM page (2019) and store finder (in Vietnamese); Vietnam News, VinaPhone 5G (December 20, 2024).
• Rules (in Vietnamese): Decree 163/2024/ND-CP; Circular 08/2026/TT-BKHCN (March 31, 2026); VnEconomy, numbers blocked on June 15, 2026.
• Da Nang International Airport, arrival guide for Terminal 2; Danang Fantasticity, airport guide (June 15, 2026).
• Ministry of Science and Technology, internet speeds in January 2026 (February 26, 2026).
• Vietcombank, exchange rates, October 1, 2026.
• International eSIM sellers, prices as shown on October 13, 2026: Airalo; Holafly; Ubigi's Vietnam plan list, its unlimited plan and its phone number FAQ; Nomad.
• Booking pages, prices as shown on October 13, 2026: KKday, Viettel 5G prepaid eSIM; Expedia, SIM card pickup at Da Nang airport.
• Photos: Da Nang International Airport, Travel Essentials shop page (photo taken March 12, 2026), Lotte Duty Free arrival shop page and free charging stations page, viewed October 13, 2026.

Updated: October 13, 2026