There are a lot of options for getting Internet access when you travel, ranging from completely free to more premium options.
If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, how to get online on the go? In this post, we will devise a list of useful tips to stay online while traveling to Vietnam.
First of all, it is better for you to know some background information about the Internet in Vietnam.
Facts about using Internet in Vietnam
- Vietnam is among the countries with the most Internet users in the Asia Pacific region.
- The Internet usage in Vietnam is predominantly mobile-based due to the high smartphone penetration rate.
- Using the Internet has become a common daily habit among the average Vietnamese people, with different purposes including study, work, entertainment, and more.
- Median mobile internet connection speed via cellular networks is 35.14 Mbps.
- Internet censorship in Vietnam is a problem for both expats and foreign tourists. There are specific sites inhibited to access in Vietnam unless using a virtual private network (VPN).
- It is important to travel with an unlocked phone so you can access the Vietnam cellular network during your trip.
- Except in the remote and mountainous areas, traveling with WiFi in Vietnam is very easy for tourists. You can find free WiFi available at airports, walking streets like Nguyen Hue Walking Street, shopping malls, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. This type of connection will be unsteady, but still enough for users to check in on social media.
- It is easy to get a sim card in Vietnam. Pre-activated Vietnamese sims cost less than 100,000 VND ($5) and are sold at most borders, airports and sim card stores along the streets..
- Foreign visitors do not need any paperwork to buy a sim card in Vietnam. Buying a sim in Vietnam with a bank card or US dollars is not recommended. Instead, go for cash.
- If you travel on a trip organized by a travel agency, your tour guide or driver will usually offer you a pre-purchased activated sim card and a registered 3G/4G LTE Internet plan.
- Three most popular mobile carriers in Vietnam are Vinaphone, Viettel and MobiFone. MobiFone and Vinaphone are always recommended in big cities, but if you travel to mountainous or remote areas, Viettel is the best.
Tips to stay online while traveling to Vietnam
Below are useful tips to stay online while traveling to Vietnam. These cover the most practical tips and we think at least one of them should work for you!
Know cities that are WiFi heaven
Believe it or not, it is a lot easier to find a free wireless network hotspot in Vietnam. That is why all big cities in Vietnam - from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City - and everywhere in between, are heavens for using free WiFi. In Vietnam visitors can get free access to the Internet at some places like shopping malls, coffee shops, fast food franchises like KFC, Jollibee,Lotteria, Pizza Hut, restaurants, hotels of all star ratings and office buildings.
Take advantage of Internet cafes, restaurants
More and more hotels, resorts, cafes, restaurants and shopping malls throughout Vietnam are going WiFi, becoming “hot spots” that offer free high speed Internet access.
In Vietnam, Internet cafes are very popular these days, especially in popular tourist destinations. There are even quaint versions of Internet cafes in smaller towns and villages, so there will always be an option for accessing public WiFi in Vietnam if you are not traveling to a very remote region.
You can either use your cellphone or bring your own laptop and use their WiFi connection. Internet cafes in Vietnam often do not charge anything except for the cost for drinks.
TAKEAWAY: To find public WiFi hotspots at your destination in Vietnam, make use of WiFi Finder which holds the world’s largest directory of public wireless hotspots.
Download apps
There are a variety of apps that can help you connect to public WiFi wherever you travel. If a public facility or local business belonging to the app’s network offers free Internet access, then you will automatically have Internet connection via these apps. This will help save you from having to manually connect to WiFi everytime you enter a new cafe, hotel or shop. A good option for such apps is Wiman, which gathers nearly 250,000 free WiFi Internet connections across Vietnam.
Use Vietnam travel eSIM
The most important tip of this article is right here: avoid using data roaming as much as possible and use another alternative instead.
Using public Wi-Fi can help you save money, but it is not active, stable and secure. Therefore, you always need a back-up in case you go to places without free WiFi or getting overloaded users accessing at a time.
The solution is to buy a Vietnam eSIM. As long as your phone is unlocked, you can use mobile data in Vietnam. eSIM Vietnam is the newest and best solution for visitors to Vietnam to stay connected anywhere, anytime. Having the same features as a traditional physical travel sim, eSIM also has many outstanding advantages. You can choose a data plan, buy, receive the sim, install, and activate it 100% online within just a few minutes.
However, using eSIM also comes with several specific requirements, such as having your eSIM-compatible and network-unlocked cellphone. Once you can meet such requirements, eSIM deserves to be the most optimal solution to help you access the Internet easily when traveling to Vietnam.
Currently, there are many Vietnam eSIM providers, but the one that offers diverse data packages at affordable prices and has calling and messaging features is GIGAGO. Among GIGAGO eSIM data plans for Vietnam travel, the GIGA120 is the best-seller. The plan includes 120GB of high speed data used within 30 days, with 4GB of high speed data each day. Note that the plan information can be modified from time to time without notice, so you had better visit the website for the most updated.
Overall, it is very easy for international tourists to stay connected during a Vietnam trip. However, putting the tips mentioned above into your pocket will surely help you prepare your best for a perfect trip in Vietnam.