Tan Son Nhat Airport SIM Card (2026): Where to Buy & Price

If you are landing at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and wondering whether to buy a SIM card there, the answer is that you can, and plenty of travellers do. What is less settled is who is behind the desks, what they charge, and whether the SIM ends up registered in your name. This page separates what is verified from what travellers report.

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The quick answer

• SIM desks exist in the international arrivals area. You need your passport.
• Reported prices run from roughly 185,000 to 500,000 VND, and we have no verified current price list.
• The recurring warning in traveller threads is resellers in carrier-branded uniforms and SIMs not registered to the buyer.
• If your phone supports eSIM, installing one before you fly skips the counter.

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Where to buy a SIM card at Tan Son Nhat Airport

Viettel’s own tourist content lists the international arrival hall, after baggage claim, as a purchase point. Guides describe counters clustered just beyond the customs exit on the public side, and some desks before passport control in the baggage area. One guide names a Viettel booth (G.1.38/12) on the left after customs and an ACV UNICO counter (G.1.29, 07:30 to 24:00); each of these comes from a single guide, so check the signage rather than trusting a booth number.

Who runs the desks is disputed. One Reddit thread says there is no official Viettel outlet at the airport. Another says counters may sell Viettel. A third recommends an identified Sasco counter. Guides add that many kiosks are run by third-party resellers whose staff wear carrier-branded uniforms.

What we could not verify: the current number of counters, which are carrier-run, and their hours.

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Tan Son Nhat airport SIM card price (reports, not a price list)

Source type	What is reported
Traveller report with photo (2026)	Viettel 30 days 300,000 VND; MobiFone 30-day options 250,000 / 300,000 / 350,000 VND. The traveller says the Viettel list had been flipped over, and that staff pushed MobiFone when Viettel was requested.
Airport guides (2026)	“Typical” 200,000 to 300,000 VND, and a wider 185,000 to 500,000 VND range.
Reddit (March 2023, old)	$9 for 15 days. Dated, so not current.

Guides commonly say airport desks cost more than city shops. We found no primary source for a percentage, so treat it as a rule of thumb.

At any desk, ask for the package code, whether data is a daily or total cap, and when validity starts counting.

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What travellers say: registration, queues and reviews

Vietnam requires prepaid SIMs to be registered with a passport. One Ho Chi Minh City traveller reports the seller photographed both the passport and the traveller’s face, and commenters called that normal. Travellers describe under 10 minutes from approach to working data, with no timed data for the queue after a long-haul arrival.

Several recent threads warn that some airport SIMs were registered to someone else’s identity, or not registered at all, and later stopped working. These are individual accounts, not proof about every desk. At the counter:

1. Ask: “Is this registered to my passport?”
2. Ask to see your number on the phone or send a test SMS.
3. Open a web page on mobile data before you leave.
4. Get a receipt and photograph the package terms.

For the wider picture see our guide to Vietnam airport SIM cards, prices and the law.

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The alternative: an eSIM installed before you fly

	Counter SIM at Tan Son Nhat	Our Viettel eSIM
Phone needed	Any unlocked phone	eSIM-compatible phone
At the airport	Queue, passport photographed	Nothing to do
Registration	Done by counter staff	Set up by our supplier before you travel
Activation	Staff check it works	Automatic when your phone connects to Viettel
Price	Reported 185,000 to 500,000 VND	$9.90 (7 days) to $19.90 (30 days)

Our Vietnam eSIM runs on the Viettel network. Install it on home Wi-Fi; when you land and your phone connects to Viettel it activates by itself with no code to dial. The line is registered by our supplier, so there is no passport scan or selfie on your side. Validity starts on first connection.

Plan	Data	Price
Viettel 7 days	35 GB (5 GB per day)	$9.90
Viettel 15 days	75 GB (5 GB per day)	$14.90
Viettel 30 days	150 GB (5 GB per day)	$19.90

When the high-speed allowance runs out, data stops; there is no slow-speed fallback.

Need a Vietnamese number? The MobiFone 5-day (30 GB, $7.90) and 10-day (50 GB, $10.90) plans carry a real +84 number that receives calls and SMS for free. They are not active before landing: dial 900 once after you arrive, and look up your number with *0#. The 11-day plan (38 GB, $9.90) includes 40 minutes of outbound local calls instead.

If an eSIM does not connect, see eSIM not working in Vietnam.

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Which SIM card is best for tourists in Vietnam?

Viettel is the usual pick for coverage, and MobiFone for a local number.

• Counter SIM: any phone, a physical backup, and a person to check it. Mind the registration checklist.
• eSIM: land already connected, no queue, no passport step.
• MobiFone eSIM: when you need a local number that receives calls and texts.

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Related guides

• Other airports: Noi Bai (Hanoi) · Da Nang
• Viettel vs VinaPhone vs MobiFone: coverage compared
• Install and activate a Vietnam eSIM on iPhone or Android
• Best Viettel eSIM for tourists: the full guide
• Complete Vietnam SIM card and eSIM guide

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How we checked this

• Official source: Viettel’s tourist content names the arrival hall as a purchase point. Our plan details come from our catalog and supplier data.
• Reported, not verified: counters, booth numbers, operators, prices, queues and registration practice come from guides and traveller threads (reviewed October 2026) and are attributed above.

What we couldn’t verify

• The current number of counters and who operates each.
• A dated price board or receipt for any package.
• Queue length after a long-haul arrival, and time from queue to working data.
• Accepted payment methods as a rule.