A local SIM or eSIM is the easiest way to stay connected on Phu Quoc: you will want data for Grab, maps, messaging and translation, and a Vietnamese number helps with Grab and with apps that send a code by text. Vietnam has three main mobile networks — Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone — and all three operate on the island. A month of generous data costs about 150,000–250,000 dong (US$6–10). The one thing you must bring is your original passport: since 2024–2026 every new number has to be registered to you, with a check of your face.
Registering a SIM: the rules
- Passport, in person or by video. Foreign visitors register a SIM with their passport (Decree 163/2024). Since 15 April 2026, the operator must verify every number for a foreigner individually, by a recorded video call or a live photo check (Circular 08/2026). In practice, the shop or app photographs your passport and takes a live selfie; uploaded photos are not accepted (Viettel, 2025).
- Bring the original, not a copy, and expect to give your hotel’s address.
- Avoid pre-registered SIMs sold in someone else’s name: the rules require each number to be registered to the person using it, and numbers that fail verification can be locked.
Tourist packages in 2026
| Carrier | Package | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viettel | 5G150T | 150,000 dong | 5 GB a day for 30 days (data only) |
| Viettel | 5G180H | 180,000 dong | 5 GB a day for 30 days, plus some calls |
| MobiFone | Travel eSIM (free) | free | 10 GB for 24 hours, one per passport |
| MobiFone | FR10 | 150,000 dong | 50 GB and 70 minutes for 10 days |
| MobiFone | FR30 | 250,000 dong | 150 GB and 200 minutes for 30 days |
Prices from the carriers’ own pages (Viettel, November 2025; MobiFone, October 2026). Viettel’s package price does not include the SIM card itself. VinaPhone also sells tourist SIMs, but we could not find a current official price list.
Plans change often, and shops sell other packages too — compare the data allowance and the number of days before you pay.
Where to buy
- At the airport: there are SIM counters in the arrivals area at Phu Quoc International Airport, past baggage claim. They are convenient, but guides report higher prices than in town, and counters may be closed for late-night arrivals. See Phu Quoc airport.
- In Duong Dong: the official Viettel Store at 331 Nguyen Trung Truc Street (corner of Hung Vuong) opened in January 2026; the carriers’ own offices and the big phone chains — Thế Giới Di Động, FPT Shop and CellphoneS — are on the same streets. Viettel lists these chains as authorised to sell its eSIM.
- In the resort areas: small travel and phone shops on Tran Hung Dao Street (Long Beach) and in Grand World sell SIMs and top-ups, often alongside money exchange; check that they register the SIM in your name.
eSIM
- Viettel sells eSIMs to passport holders in the My Viettel app or in its stores and authorised shops. Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked — for example iPhone XR or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and many recent Samsung models (Viettel’s list).
- MobiFone offers its travel eSIM by QR code: register online with your passport (or with your e-visa number before you fly), then top up with one of the packages above, paying by card.
- International travel-eSIM apps also sell Vietnam data plans you can install before you leave. They are convenient, but usually data-only, without a Vietnamese phone number.
Coverage, 5G and Wi-Fi
- Coverage: Phu Quoc has had 4G since 2016, when VNPT made it the first place in Vietnam with its 4G network (Vietnam News). 5G arrived in Vietnam in October 2024, and by early 2026 the three operators reached about 90% of the population with it (Developing Telecoms). A 5G phone works on a 5G plan without changing SIM.
- The small islands: we found no official coverage map for Hon Thom, the An Thoi islands, Nam Du or Tho Chu, so do not rely on a signal there or at sea.
- Wi-Fi: hotels, resorts and most cafés and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi, and the airport has free Wi-Fi in the terminal. Do not count on public Wi-Fi in the street.
Tips
- Keep your home SIM in a dual-SIM phone for bank codes by text, with roaming switched off.
- Set up Grab with your new number — see getting around.
- Top-ups are sold in convenience stores and phone shops, or in the carriers’ apps.
For money, cards and QR payments, see money and ATMs; for everything else, the FAQ.
Prices and rules: the carriers’ own pages and Vietnamese regulations via official and press sources, checked 15 October 2026.
