Best eSIM for Vietnam From New Zealand

Who this is for

Anyone landing in Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City without a local SIM already sorted - backpackers doing the full north-south route especially, but also anyone tackling the Ha Giang loop or Sapa on a rented motorbike, where a dropped connection is more than an inconvenience.

Why data matters more in Vietnam than a typical trip

• Grab is the easiest, safest way to get around - taxis, motorbike rides and food delivery all run through the app, with a fixed price shown upfront instead of a roadside negotiation.
• Long-distance travel gets booked a day or two out, not weeks ahead - sleeper trains, overnight buses and internal flights between Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City are usually sorted on the go, from your phone.
• Routes like the Ha Giang loop and Sapa's trekking trails need live navigation - coverage reaches well into Vietnam's mountainous north, which matters a lot more here than on a city-only trip - check the networks listed on the Vietnam plans page for what your plan connects through.

How much data you actually need

Grab trips, maps for the whole length of the country, and photo uploads from Ha Long Bay or the Mekong Delta add up more than a single-city holiday. As a rough guide, light use (maps and messaging only) sits around 1-3GB a week, regular use with some streaming and video calls home around 5-10GB a week, and heavy daily streaming or hotspotting a laptop for work pushes toward 15-20GB+ a week - see how much data you actually need for the full breakdown, and lean toward the larger end if your route covers the whole country rather than one region.

Country plan or a regional bundle?

Vietnam alone, the country-specific plan is almost always the simpler, cheaper pick. If Thailand, Bali or Singapore are also on the route - a common Kiwi Southeast Asia loop - a regional bundle covering all of them can work out simpler than buying separate country plans at each border. See Thailand eSIM plans or read one eSIM for Southeast Asia for the full cost comparison before you decide.

Before you fly: Vietnam's e-visa

New Zealanders need a visa for Vietnam, and the easy option is the e-visa: apply online, valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, with a fee paid on application. Only use the official government portal (evisa.gov.vn) - plenty of lookalike sites charge well over the real fee. Print or screenshot the approval, since you'll show it on arrival.

Riding the Ha Giang loop or Sapa with your phone

Coverage reaches well into the northern mountains, but valleys and passes still have gaps. Download offline maps for the whole loop before you set off, mount your phone somewhere you can see it without stopping, and carry a power bank - navigation and photos drain a battery fast on a long riding day.

If you're travelling with a guide or easy-rider driver, it's still worth having your own data for messaging home and checking the next stop's booking.

Cash, cards and getting around

Cash is still king at street food stalls, markets and small guesthouses, so carry some dong. For getting around cities, Grab shows the fare up front for cars and motorbike taxis and saves haggling - one of the main reasons to have data working from the airport.

Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and the islands

Hoi An's old town and the beaches around Da Nang are well covered. On overnight Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay cruises, signal comes and goes once you're out among the limestone islands - fine for messages when it's there, but download anything you need before you board. The same goes for ferries out to islands like Phu Quoc and Con Dao.

Current pricing

Vietnam eSIM plans currently start from $5.99, with larger sizes and longer validity windows available - see the full, current line-up on the Vietnam eSIM plans page.

When does it actually start?

Check the "About this eSIM" panel on the plans page before you buy - most plans start the first moment your phone connects to a network in Vietnam, so it's fine to buy well ahead of your trip. A handful of plans instead start the moment you install the eSIM profile, so for those, install right before you fly rather than weeks ahead.

Does hotspotting work?

Yes - hotspot/tethering is included, so you can share the connection with a laptop or another device. It counts against your plan's data allowance like any other use, so factor it into the sizing above if you're planning to work from a laptop along the way.

Setting it up

Install your eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly, and it's ready to go the moment you land at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, or Da Nang - see the setup guide for the two-minute version. There's no airport SIM counter queue to navigate after a long flight, and Grab, maps and your hotel booking are all working before you've found the exit.