Useful Information
come with a wifi internet connection already set up- but if not, it is very easy to speak with the person you are renting from to help you to contact the company that provides for your building. You can expect your monthly bill to be a very affordable 4 - 17 USD, depending on your plan. Internet and Phones
(Pics of the carts selling the phone refill, pic of the refill cards, and the information on how to check your remaining minutes/data is press *101#
Internet
Ho Chi Minh City has great high-speed Wi-Fi just about everywhere. Literally.
This is why entrepreneurs and casual tourists love it here. Internet cafés, restaurants, hostels, houses… you name it. They all have a good internet connection. So it’s no problem to get connected and stay in touch with your pals back home.
(Local Tip: Yes, the internet really is this great most of the time. However, sometimes it is in the news that the cable bringing the internet connection in to Vietnam is interrupted under the ocean, and it can cause slower connection speeds. It varies and usually a slow connection is just temporary. So be patient- and remember you are in a developing country! Or, if you are a techie genius, you could figure out how to re-route to a VPN or something like that).
Planning on living in Ho Chi Minh City? Your apartment will likely already
Phones
*Public phones for use: Hotels and hostels always have international phones for customer use. Unfortunately there aren’t pay phones on the street.
Mobile phones:
Bring a phone from home: SIM cards can, as you may already know, go into any “unlocked” phone. That means if your current carrier doesn’t lock you to their service, you can use a SIM in any country. Therefore- bring your phone from home and set it up to use here. It’s a very quick, easy and cheap process and will afford you the ease of making phone calls to anyone you meet/ businesses or tour guides that you have questions for/ etc
Pick up a phone here: Mobile phones ranging from the latest smart phones to something that you would get out of a cereal box can be purchased pretty easily. The most recognized name in cell phone stores is The Gioi Di Dong, and is a sure bet to get a cheap old school kind of phone to use while you are here if you just want to be able to make phone calls. The best place to get a new phone, like an Apple or Android smart phone would be (at the mall?? Or the yellow store place too?).
You can also get a SIM card (and put on calling time and also 3G data service for smart phones) at many of these shops, which will allow you to make local or international calls. When you empty your initial balance, you can go back to a phone shop or you can find any place with “Mobi” or “SIM” written on a sign. (Local Tip: Often this means an old lady with a cart on the street! Really- just show her your phone and say calling or data depending on which you need to refill. They’ll scratch a card and punch a number in… BANG you’re back in business)..
Price Examples to use phone: As mentioned above, getting a SIM in your phone to get a phone number activated costs from $2- $7. The price for using services is different for each provider, but it’s about 1,200 to 2,500vnd per minute (USD 0.06 to 0.122). Therefore, putting 100,000vnd on your phone for calling/texting allotment, as well as about 120,000 for 3G data will be enough for a month’s usage or more (depending on how much you are using it).
Here are some places you can pick up a sim card (other than the cart ladies):
Post offices:
You can pick up a sim card of any mobile carrier for about $2-$8 at most post offices, especially, in the city center. Link old POST OFFICE. *Note: You won’t be able to have any say over the phone number you get- so if this is important to you, (maybe for long term stay?), then go to a mobile shop or service center instead.
Mobile shops:
These are located all over Saigon, with the major brand names being Mobifone, Viettel and Vinafone. They sell sim cards for the same $2-$8 range as a post office, and for those that to choose their phone number, they will be entertained with many options. It’s somewhat amusing to look at the list of available numbers for different purchase prices- the “better” or “easier to remember” numbers are the priciest!
Mobile carrier service centers:
Mobile carrier service centers, offer pre-paid or post-paid sim options. CONTRACT??
For MOBIFONE USERS: information on how to check your remaining minutes/data!)
9393 for English help. Pressing the sequence *101# the phone will receive info on credit and expiration date. Internationatl calls to USA and Europe are cheap, around 4.000 VND per minute, direct dial. has more info
Mobifone website and main location: 80 Nguyen Du, D1 08 3822 1573 mobifone.com.vn/portal/en/...
For VINAPHONE USERS:
Vinaphone wesite and main location: 80 Dguyen Du, D1 08 3939 0491 http://vinaphone.com.vn/locale.do?lan...
For Viettel USERs:
Viettel wesite and main location: 53-55 Cao Thang, D1 08 6655 1205 http://vietteltelecom.vn/di-dong/goi-...
Depending upon your service provider, there are different ways to adjust the Network Settings to use 3G on smart phones in Vietnam.
VinaPhone:
APN: m3-world
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Mobifone:
APN: m-wap
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Viettel:
APN: v-internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP : (blank)
Beeline & Vietnammobile :
APN: internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP: (blank)
More fast facts about telecom in HCMC:
· The mobile phone companies include: Mobifone, VinaPhone, Viettel Mobile and S-Fone.
· There are over 15 million cell phones with registered phone numbers, growing annually by 20%!
· The ISP companies in HCMC include: Vietnam Data Communications Company (VDC), Corporation for Finance and Promoting Technology (FPT), Netnam Company, Saigon Post and Telecommunications Services Corporation (Saigon Postel Corporation, SPT), and Viettel Company.
· Internet access is somewhat regulated. Certain websites containing content regarding sensitive political or religious issues are routinely monitored and censored/ blocked.
Internet connections, (majority ADSL connections) are also rapidly growing. There are over 2.5 million subscribers and around 5.5 million frequent users.
come with a wifi internet connection already set up- but if not, it is very easy to speak with the person you are renting from to help you to contact the company that provides for your building. You can expect your monthly bill to be a very affordable $4-$17, depending on your plan.Internet and Phones
(Pics of the carts selling the phone refill, pic of the refill cards, and the information on how to check your remaining minutes/data!)
Internet
Ho Chi Minh City has great high-speed Wi-Fi just about everywhere. Literally.
This is why entrepreneurs and casual tourists love it here. Internet cafés, restaurants, hostels, houses… you name it. They all have a good internet connection. So it’s no problem to get connected and stay in touch with your pals back home.
(Local Tip: Yes, the internet really is this great most of the time. However, sometimes it is in the news that the cable bringing the internet connection in to Vietnam is interrupted under the ocean, and it can cause slower connection speeds. It varies and usually a slow connection is just temporary. So be patient- and remember you are in a developing country! Or, if you are a techie genius, you could figure out how to re-route to a VPN or something like that).
Planning on living in HCMC? Your apartment will likely already
Phones
*Public phones for use: Hotels and hostels always have international phones for customer use. Unfortunately there aren’t pay phones on the street.
Mobile phones:
Bring a phone from home: SIM cards can, as you may already know, go into any “unlocked” phone. That means if your current carrier doesn’t lock you to their service, you can use a SIM in any country. Therefore- bring your phone from home and set it up to use here. It’s a very quick, easy and cheap process and will afford you the ease of making phone calls to anyone you meet/ businesses or tour guides that you have questions for/ etc
Pick up a phone here: Mobile phones ranging from the latest smart phones to something that you would get out of a cereal box can be purchased pretty easily. The most recognized name in cell phone stores is (the didliodang? one with the yellow sign), and is a sure bet to get a cheap old school kind of phone to use while you are here if you just want to be able to make phone calls. The best place to get a new phone, like an Apple or Android smart phone would be (at the mall?? Or the yellow store place too?).
You can also get a SIM card (and put on calling time and also 3G data service for smart phones) at many of these shops, which will allow you to make local or international calls. When you empty your initial balance, you can go back to a phone shop or you can find any place with “Mobi” or “SIM” written on a sign. (Local Tip: Often this means an old lady with a cart on the street! Really- just show her your phone and say calling or data depending on which you need to refill. They’ll scratch a card and punch a number in… BANG you’re back in business)..
Price Examples to use phone: As mentioned above, getting a SIM in your phone to get a phone number activated costs from $2- $7. The price for using services is different for each provider, but it’s about 1,200 to 2,500vnd per minute (USD 0.06 to 0.122). Therefore, putting 100,000vnd on your phone for calling/texting allotment, as well as about 120,000 for 3G data will be enough for a month’s usage or more (depending on how much you are using it).
Here are some places you can pick up a sim card (other than the cart ladies):
Post offices:
You can pick up a sim card of any mobile carrier for about $2-$8 at most post offices, especially, in the city center. Link old POST OFFICE. *Note: You won’t be able to have any say over the phone number you get- so if this is important to you, (maybe for long term stay?), then go to a mobile shop or service center instead.
Mobile shops:
These are located all over Saigon, with the major brand names being Mobifone, Viettel and Vinafone. They sell sim cards for the same $2-$8 range as a post office, and for those that to choose their phone number, they will be entertained with many options. It’s somewhat amusing to look at the list of available numbers for different purchase prices- the “better” or “easier to remember” numbers are the priciest!
Mobile carrier service centers:
Mobile carrier service centers, offer pre-paid or post-paid sim options. CONTRACT??
For MOBIFONE USERS: information on how to check your remaining minutes/data!)
9393 for English help. Pressing the sequence *101# the phone will receive info on credit and expiration date. Internationatl calls to USA and Europe are cheap, around 4.000 VND per minute, direct dial. has more info
Mobifone website and main location: 80 Nguyen Du, D1 08 3822 1573 mobifone.com.vn/portal/en/...
For VINAPHONE USERS:
Vinaphone wesite and main location: 80 Dguyen Du, D1 08 3939 0491 http://vinaphone.com.vn/locale.do?lan...
For Viettel USERs:
Viettel wesite and main location: 53-55 Cao Thang, D1 08 6655 1205 http://vietteltelecom.vn/di-dong/goi-...
Depending upon your service provider, there are different ways to adjust the Network Settings to use 3G on smart phones in Vietnam.
VinaPhone:
APN: m3-world
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Mobifone:
APN: m-wap
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Viettel:
APN: v-internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP : (blank)
Beeline & Vietnammobile :
APN: internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP: (blank)
More fast facts about telecom in HCMC:
· The mobile phone companies include: Mobifone, VinaPhone, Viettel Mobile and S-Fone.
· There are over 15 million cell phones with registered phone numbers, growing annually by 20%!
· The ISP companies in HCMC include: Vietnam Data Communications Company (VDC), Corporation for Finance and Promoting Technology (FPT), Netnam Company, Saigon Post and Telecommunications Services Corporation (Saigon Postel Corporation, SPT), and Viettel Company.
· Internet access is somewhat regulated. Certain websites containing content regarding sensitive political or religious issues are routinely monitored and censored/ blocked.
Internet connections, (majority ADSL connections) are also rapidly growing. There are over 2.5 million subscribers and around 5.5 million frequent users.
come with a wifi internet connection already set up- but if not, it is very easy to speak with the person you are renting from to help you to contact the company that provides for your building. You can expect your monthly bill to be a very affordable $4-$17, depending on your plan.Internet and Phones
(Pics of the carts selling the phone refill, pic of the refill cards, and the information on how to check your remaining minutes/data!)
Internet
Ho Chi Minh City has great high-speed Wi-Fi just about everywhere. Literally.
This is why entrepreneurs and casual tourists love it here. Internet cafés, restaurants, hostels, houses… you name it. They all have a good internet connection. So it’s no problem to get connected and stay in touch with your pals back home.
(Local Tip: Yes, the internet really is this great most of the time. However, sometimes it is in the news that the cable bringing the internet connection in to Vietnam is interrupted under the ocean, and it can cause slower connection speeds. It varies and usually a slow connection is just temporary. So be patient- and remember you are in a developing country! Or, if you are a techie genius, you could figure out how to re-route to a VPN or something like that).
Planning on living in HCMC? Your apartment will likely already
Phones
*Public phones for use: Hotels and hostels always have international phones for customer use. Unfortunately there aren’t pay phones on the street.
Mobile phones:
Bring a phone from home: SIM cards can, as you may already know, go into any “unlocked” phone. That means if your current carrier doesn’t lock you to their service, you can use a SIM in any country. Therefore- bring your phone from home and set it up to use here. It’s a very quick, easy and cheap process and will afford you the ease of making phone calls to anyone you meet/ businesses or tour guides that you have questions for/ etc
Pick up a phone here: Mobile phones ranging from the latest smart phones to something that you would get out of a cereal box can be purchased pretty easily. The most recognized name in cell phone stores is (the didliodang? one with the yellow sign), and is a sure bet to get a cheap old school kind of phone to use while you are here if you just want to be able to make phone calls. The best place to get a new phone, like an Apple or Android smart phone would be (at the mall?? Or the yellow store place too?).
You can also get a SIM card (and put on calling time and also 3G data service for smart phones) at many of these shops, which will allow you to make local or international calls. When you empty your initial balance, you can go back to a phone shop or you can find any place with “Mobi” or “SIM” written on a sign. (Local Tip: Often this means an old lady with a cart on the street! Really- just show her your phone and say calling or data depending on which you need to refill. They’ll scratch a card and punch a number in… BANG you’re back in business)..
Price Examples to use phone: As mentioned above, getting a SIM in your phone to get a phone number activated costs from $2- $7. The price for using services is different for each provider, but it’s about 1,200 to 2,500vnd per minute (USD 0.06 to 0.122). Therefore, putting 100,000vnd on your phone for calling/texting allotment, as well as about 120,000 for 3G data will be enough for a month’s usage or more (depending on how much you are using it).
Here are some places you can pick up a sim card (other than the cart ladies):
Post offices:
You can pick up a sim card of any mobile carrier for about $2-$8 at most post offices, especially, in the city center. Link old POST OFFICE. *Note: You won’t be able to have any say over the phone number you get- so if this is important to you, (maybe for long term stay?), then go to a mobile shop or service center instead.
Mobile shops:
These are located all over Saigon, with the major brand names being Mobifone, Viettel and Vinafone. They sell sim cards for the same $2-$8 range as a post office, and for those that to choose their phone number, they will be entertained with many options. It’s somewhat amusing to look at the list of available numbers for different purchase prices- the “better” or “easier to remember” numbers are the priciest!
Mobile carrier service centers:
Mobile carrier service centers, offer pre-paid or post-paid sim options. CONTRACT??
For MOBIFONE USERS: information on how to check your remaining minutes/data!)
9393 for English help. Pressing the sequence *101# the phone will receive info on credit and expiration date. Internationatl calls to USA and Europe are cheap, around 4.000 VND per minute, direct dial. has more info
Mobifone website and main location: 80 Nguyen Du, D1 08 3822 1573 mobifone.com.vn/portal/en/...
For VINAPHONE USERS:
Vinaphone wesite and main location: 80 Dguyen Du, D1 08 3939 0491 http://vinaphone.com.vn/locale.do?lan...
For Viettel USERs:
Viettel wesite and main location: 53-55 Cao Thang, D1 08 6655 1205 http://vietteltelecom.vn/di-dong/goi-...
Depending upon your service provider, there are different ways to adjust the Network Settings to use 3G on smart phones in Vietnam.
VinaPhone:
APN: m3-world
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Mobifone:
APN: m-wap
User name for ANP: mms
Password for ANP: mms
Viettel:
APN: v-internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP : (blank)
Beeline & Vietnammobile :
APN: internet
User name for ANP: (blank)
Password for ANP: (blank)
More fast facts about telecom in HCMC:
· The mobile phone companies include: Mobifone, VinaPhone, Viettel Mobile and S-Fone.
· There are over 15 million cell phones with registered phone numbers, growing annually by 20%!
· The ISP companies in HCMC include: Vietnam Data Communications Company (VDC), Corporation for Finance and Promoting Technology (FPT), Netnam Company, Saigon Post and Telecommunications Services Corporation (Saigon Postel Corporation, SPT), and Viettel Company.
· Internet access is somewhat regulated. Certain websites containing content regarding sensitive political or religious issues are routinely monitored and censored/ blocked.
Internet connections, (majority ADSL connections) are also rapidly growing. There are over 2.5 million subscribers and around 5.5 million frequent users.
