"No more lining up for SIMs at the airport" — Vietnam eSIM situation 2026, full parallel use with a device per family member
For a Vietnam trip in 2026, securing connectivity before arriving on the ground has become the norm.eSIMs usable from about 100 yen a day have spread, and the number of Japanese travelers lining up at the SIM counters of Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports has plummeted.Major providers such as Saily, Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, and Gigago have revamped their Vietnam-dedicated plans for 2026, and a way of using them where a family of four runs Grab, Xanh SM, and photo sharing in parallel, each on a separate device, has become standard.
The origin news of the 2026 eSIM situation
From late 2025 into early 2026, Saily (a NordVPN affiliate) put out a spec of "high speed up to 5GB/day, then continuing at 1Mbps" for its Vietnam unlimited plan, at $71.99/30 days, vaulting to the top of the industry. Airalo also maintains a high-speed allotment of 1Mbps (up to 3GB/day), while Holafly aims for the top price band at $74.90/30 days. The mainstream for Japanese travelers is Gigago (a Vietnam-based local provider), with Airalo forming the other of the two giants, centered on the nomad crowd.
Background: why the common sense of "buying a physical SIM" disappeared
In Vietnam, since 2024, all three major carriers — Viettel, MobiFone, and Vinaphone — already support eSIM. Furthermore, as a result of a system being set up to complete identity registration online before entry, there's no longer a need to buy a physical SIM at the airport counter.If you prepare one per family member, each can head to a different place on Google Maps and share photos in real time.The era of everyone sharing one Wi-Fi router has completely switched to the era of individual connections.
Comparison table of major eSIM plans
| Provider | Representative plan | Price (USD) | Yen conversion | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigago | Viettel 5GB × 7 days | $10.9 | About 1,650 yen | Around 150 yen/day, activated before landing |
| Gigago | Viettel 5GB × 30 days | $19.9 | About 3,000 yen | For long-stay users, 100 yen/day |
| Saily | Unlimited × 30 days | $71.99 | About 10,800 yen | 4G/LTE high speed up to 5GB/day |
| Airalo | 10GB × 30 days | $26 | About 3,900 yen | Supports 200+ countries worldwide, nomads' No.1 |
| Holafly | Unlimited × 30 days | $74.90 | About 11,200 yen | High-speed cap threshold not disclosed |
| Nomad | 10GB × 30 days | $24 | About 3,600 yen | Continues at 512Kbps throttle |
| Vinaphone (official) | 5GB × 30 days + 1,000 minutes of calls | $19.9 | About 3,000 yen | Comes with a local number, calls possible |
| MobiFone MVNO | 15GB total × 7 days | $5.9 | About 880 yen | Best value for intensive short-term use |
Voices from locals and the industry
- Gigago PR representative Nguyen Thi Ha: "Japanese buyers in Q1 2026 were 2.4 times the previous year. Airport counter wait time became zero, and the experience of instantly hailing a Grab spread by word of mouth."
- Kenichi Sato, concierge at a Japanese-affiliated hotel in Hanoi: "The number of SIM inquiries at the front desk is down 70% from 2024. Instead, questions like 'my eSIM won't connect' have increased, but in most cases toggling airplane mode on and off solves it."
- Saily Japanese-support representative: "The need to buy separate plans for the family has surged. Families buying combinations like unlimited for the parents and a 5GB plan for the kids are three times the previous year in 2026."
- Phan Minh Tuan, operator of a coworking space in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City: "90% of nomad users use Airalo or Saily. They often say they can spend the time they'd have used going to buy a physical SIM on work instead."
Practical impact on Japanese travelers: three ways to use per-family-member eSIMs
The biggest advantage of per-family-member eSIMs is that "everyone can move independently."The father calls a car with Grab, the mother shops using Xanh SM (electric taxi), and the kids take photos and head to the meeting point by a different route.Since there's no need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi router, freedom of movement rises dramatically.
The second advantage is child safety management. You can keep Google Maps family link or LINE location sharing on at all times, so even if you get separated you can quickly regroup. The third is a "plan with a local number" for long-stay users. With Vinaphone's official plan, a local phone number is assigned, letting you enjoy the convenience of a local SIM for restaurant reservations and calls with Grab drivers.
Da Nang food tourIn scenes like moving as a group while taking photos, the experience of everyone posting to Instagram and LINE in real time is rated as "pushing trip satisfaction up a notch."
Ripple effects on the industry: the shrinking Wi-Fi router rental market
Industry insiders testify that domestic Japanese Wi-Fi router rental operators saw sales of Vietnam-bound plans fall 30–40% year on year, with 2025 as the turning point.In Vietnam's tourism strategy of chasing Thailand,building out communications infrastructure is positioned as a top priority, and 5G rollout is expected to be completed in the main tourist areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City within 2026.
At the same time, the intensifying competition among ride-hailing apps like Grab, Xanh SM, Be, and Go is pushing an always-online environment via eSIM toward a use pattern of "launching multiple apps at once to compare the best rate."
eSIM setup steps and troubleshooting
| Scene | Recommended action | Time required |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 days before travel | Purchase from a provider, receive the QR code | 5–10 minutes |
| The night before travel | Scan the QR code to install the eSIM | 3 minutes |
| Before turning off airplane mode | Settings → Mobile Data → set the Vietnam eSIM as default | 1 minute |
| No connection after arrival | Toggle airplane mode on/off, set APN manually | 5 minutes |
| Rolling out to family devices | Request a QR code reissue for each device | 10 minutes |
| Topping up for a long stay | Top up in the same provider's app | 3 minutes |
Summary: Vietnam connectivity in 2026, three ways to choose
If you're unsure for a Vietnam trip in 2026,"MobiFone MVNO 15GB × 7 days $5.9 for short trips within 5 days, Gigago Viettel 5GB × 30 days $19.9 for one week to a month, and for nomads or the unlimited crowd, Saily $71.99/month"— these three choices cover nearly every travel style. Preparing one per family member is the new standard for 2026.
If you receive and install the QR code before arrival, there's no need to line up 30 minutes at the airport SIM counter. Your trip begins from exiting the airport, opening the Grab or Xanh SM app, and heading straight to your hotel.Nha Trang Summer FestivalEven for attending short-term events like this, you can handle photo sharing, map navigation, and ride-hailing on the ground without stress. Freedom of connectivity connects directly to freedom of travel.
