When you're researching eSIMs for a trip to Vietnam, one name always comes up: "Saily." To get straight to the point,for a short- to mid-length trip focused on cities, Saily is a perfectly recommendable option in Vietnam too. This article lays out, evenhandedly, what kind of service Saily is, how it actually works in Vietnam, and its upsides and caveats.
What is Saily? An overseas eSIM from the company behind NordVPN
Saily is an eSIM for overseas travel from Nord Security, the company behind the well-known VPN NordVPN. It covers many countries and regions worldwide, and once you pick a country and data amount in the dedicated app and buy it, the eSIM is issued on the spot. There's no swapping a physical SIM — on a compatible phone you just scan a QR code. As you'd expect from a company whose main business is security, it's also designed with communication safety in mind.
Does it actually work in Vietnam?
Saily includes Vietnam in its coverage and connects through a major local network. In cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang and at the main tourist spots, it connects at practical speeds for maps, ride-hailing apps, social media, and even video calls. In areas with weaker signal such as mountainous regions and remote islands, speeds can drop just as they would with a local carrier. Even so, most of the places travelers go are covered, so you'll rarely have trouble on a trip centered on cities and major sights.
From purchase to activation to checking your remaining balance, it's all in one app. You're online the moment you land in Vietnam. You can pick just the amount you need for a short trip, and the price is reasonable too.
Saily's advantages
Its biggest strength is the ease of doing everything in the app. Purchase, activation, checking your balance, and topping up all happen in a single app, and you can see at a glance how much you've used. A big plus is that if you set it up while still in Japan, you're online the moment you land in Vietnam. Since you can run two lines while keeping your Japanese SIM, you can also keep using your Japanese phone number and LINE as is. And if you choose an Asia-roaming plan, it works as-is in Thailand and Cambodia too, sparing you the hassle of buying a new one in each country.
Saily plans available for Vietnam
Saily's plans for Vietnam come in two types: a "data plan" chosen by data volume, and a "calls & text plan" for local calls and SMS.
The data planlets you choose by length of stay and data amount, from 1GB (for short trips) up through 3GB, 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB. A small allowance is enough if you mainly use maps and social media; a larger one is reassuring if you'll tether or watch video.
The calls & text plancovers calls and SMS within Vietnam, available in tiers from 5 minutes/5 SMS up to 50 minutes/50 SMS. Both outgoing and incoming use the plan's minutes. In other words, Saily isn't strictly "data only" — you can add calls and SMS as needed. If data alone is enough, go with just a data plan; if you also want to make calls locally, add calls & text.
*Plan lineup and pricing change. Check the latest volumes and prices in the official Saily app.
Points to watch out for
Saily centers on data, but in Vietnam you can also add a calls and SMS plan, which covers local calls and SMS (within the plan's minutes and message count). However, if you need to receive calls on a Vietnamese number or get SMS verification sent to a Japanese number, a local SIM or your Japanese SIM is the better fit. You'll also need an eSIM-compatible phone, so before you leave, check that you can add an eSIM under "Settings → Cellular." "Unlimited" plans may throttle speeds past a certain amount, so if you watch a lot of video, it's worth checking how much high-speed data is included.
Who it's good for / who it's not for
Saily is a good fit forshort- to mid-length travelers who mainly stick to cities、people who want to handle setup and balance management smartly through an app、people who'll also tour other parts of Asia beyond Vietnam. Conversely, forpeople who must receive calls or verification on a local numberandpeople using a device that doesn't support eSIM、people on a long stay who put down deep local roots, a local SIM or a rental WiFi unit suits better. Choose based on your own travel style.
Setup and use in 3 steps
(1) Buy a plan for Vietnam (or Asia roaming) in the app. (2) Register the QR/eSIM shown, while still in Japan, under "Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM." (3) After arriving in Vietnam, turn on the eSIM you added and enable "Data Roaming." That gets you online. The trick to avoiding mishaps is finishing the setup in Japan where there's Wi-Fi.
For how to choose between Vietnam's SIM, eSIM, and WiFi overall, our definitive guide compares them in detail 👉 Which SIM is right for Vietnam? A thorough comparison of local SIM, eSIM, and WiFi
From purchase to activation to checking your remaining balance, it's all in one app. You're online the moment you land in Vietnam. You can pick just the amount you need for a short trip, and the price is reasonable too.
