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Hi there,
These three are the biggest phone companies in Vietnam: Mobifone, Vinaphone, Viettel.

I have used Mobiphone prepaid cards for the last 13 years and have found no problem with them. They often give special rates, such as double your payment in credit. The coverage throughout Vietnam is good, too.  Remember, If you are in a border area, such as Chau Doc or Ha Tien, turn off roaming so that you are not charged international rates when your phone wants to connect via Cambodia.

You should use mobifone or viettel.

Do you know any special offer or package?

I just need to do some phone calls and 600MB per month should be enough

I don't know if there are packages for both phone calls and internet.
I'm on a Mobifone post-paid account and whenever I want to connect to the internet, I just type "ON MIU" and send to 9084. It's a package that costs 70,000 VND for 600MB of data for 30 days. After 30 days if you don't want to use it anymore, you have to type "HUY MIU" and send to 999. Otherwise they will automatically extend the package 600MB for another 30 days if you're on post-paid. If you're on pre-paid, they will only automatically extend it if you have enough money in your account. That's 70,000 VND plus your regular phone calls and SMS charges per month.

It's the same for Vinaphone and Viettel. Only the texts and the numbers you need to send to are different.

Again, I don't know if there are packages for both phone calls and internet.

Hope this helps.

Hi, Im lan, Im a Vietnam, How can I help you?

ralphnhatrang wrote:

I have used Mobiphone prepaid cards for the last 13 years and have found no problem with them. They often give special rates, such as double your payment in credit. The coverage throughout Vietnam is good, too.  Remember, If you are in a border area, such as Chau Doc or Ha Tien, turn off roaming so that you are not charged international rates when your phone wants to connect via Cambodia.

Hi Ralph, do you mean the credit lasts for 13 years if you don't use it?

No, I did not mean that, but the phone company did make the time to use the credits longer and longer. Another important point, which the phone company didn't tell me, is that you cannot use their card in other countries, including Cambodia. You should remove your Mobiphone sim card while you are out of VN, otherwise they keep sending unwanted message after unwanted message to say connect to another user, and all those messages are charged against your account until their is no credit left in it.  This was totally infuriating. So remove your card before you leave VN and replace it in your phone after you return to  VN.

I'm currently on Viettel and I've signed up to a package called VTVUI (text to 191), which gives me 2.5Gb of data, along with 250 mins and 100 texts to other Viettel numbers (about 40% of the market).

It's by far the best value package I've come across in my 3 years of living here and having experienced all three of the big networks.

Viettel also offers the best coverage nationwide, and especially in northern and rural areas.

You'll find SIM cards on sale on most streets, and if you need one immediately upon landing there are a few kiosks in the airport arrivals hall which sell them.

thanks Ralph, there may be some hope, being tight a.s I kept my sims, did as you suggested when I left last time, 

One big advantage for Android tablets is that the ones sold in Vietnam have a phone function built in.  This allows you to add minutes and Gb to your SIM using scratch cards sold everywhere.  With an iPad, there are monthly plans that will bill your credit card but you have to work them out when you buy the SIM.  If you are downtown, you may be able to find phone employees who can speak enough English to set it up for you.  Where I lived none of them spoke enough for that purpose.  You also may need a local credit card that lets them pull payments in VND.

Your SIM card has a phone number but the iPad just can't access it, so you can take your card out of the iPad as required and put it in your phone to charge it up but this can result in wear and tear.  It also requires the phone and the iPad to use the same sized SIM card.