eSIM for Ho Chi Minh City
For Ho Chi Minh City, a Vietnam eSIM covers the city and day trips to the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi. Most visits last about four days, so pick a plan valid for at least that long. Install it at home before flying, then switch it on when you land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Plans for Vietnam cover the whole country, including Ho Chi Minh City.
For a 4-day visit
How much data for 4 days in Ho Chi Minh City
- Light (maps and messages): about 1 GB
- Normal (plus social media and browsing): about 2.5 GB
- Heavy (video and video calls): about 6 GB
An estimate from typical use, not a measurement.
Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City
Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) is in the north of the city, close to the centre compared with most big airports. Metered taxis, ride-hailing cars and city buses run from the terminals to the centre, the area still widely called District 1, around Ben Thanh Market and Pham Ngu Lao. Airport staff can point you to the official taxi queue and bus stops.
With data on, you can show a driver the hotel address in Vietnamese, confirm the pickup point in a ride app and message your host. Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi with the QR code and leave it off until you land. At the airport, switch the eSIM line on and turn on data roaming for it. Keep your home line's mobile data off so it does not run up charges.
Getting around
Ho Chi Minh City has a first metro line, Line 1, running from Ben Thanh in the centre out to Suoi Tien. Check the operator's official site for the current timetable and ticket options. For most other journeys, visitors take ride apps: Grab covers cars and motorbike taxis, and Be and Xanh SM operate too. They show the fare in advance and give you a pickup pin, which saves you shouting an address over traffic.
City buses cover a lot of ground and show up in the mapping apps. Waterbuses run on the Saigon River, linking the centre with stops along the river, and times are posted by the operator. Walking is fine in District 1, but crossing the roads is an art: move at an even pace and the motorbikes will go around you. Download an offline map in case a narrow alley confuses your phone.
Where you'll use data
Visitors spend most of their time in District 1 (Ben Thanh Market, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office, Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum) and in Cholon, the Chinese quarter, with its temples and markets. The old District 3 has cafes and quieter streets, and Thao Dien, across the river, is popular with long-stay visitors. Saved addresses in Vietnamese and a translation app speed up shopping and taxis.
The classic day trips are the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta towns of My Tho and Ben Tre, the Cao Dai Holy See at Tay Ninh and the beach town of Vung Tau, which is reached by road. All of these are inside Vietnam, so the plan keeps working. A trip overland to Phnom Penh in Cambodia is different: the Vietnam plan does not cover the other country, so you would need a separate plan there.
For a longer stay
Common questions
- Will the eSIM work as soon as I land at Tan Son Nhat?
- Yes, if you installed it before the flight. Switch the eSIM line on, turn on data roaming for it and give it a minute to connect. If it does not, toggle airplane mode off and on once.
- How much data do I need for four days in Ho Chi Minh City?
- About 2.5 GB for normal use: maps, ride apps, messages and some social media. Video calls home or heavy streaming take it to roughly 6 GB. The plan list on this page shows the estimate next to each plan.
- Can I use the metro with my phone?
- Ticket options for Line 1 change, so check the operator's official site or the station counter. Your phone's map and the mapping apps work on the data plan, whichever way you pay for the ticket.
- Does the plan give me a Vietnamese phone number?
- No. These plans are data only. Use apps such as WhatsApp or Zalo for calls and messages, and keep your home line on for texts with its data switched off if your bank sends codes by SMS.
- Does the plan work on a trip to the Mekong Delta or Cambodia?
- The Mekong Delta towns of My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho are in Vietnam, so the plan covers them. A trip across the border to Cambodia is not covered, because the Vietnam plan does not cover the other country there.