Yes, Vodafone works in Vietnam. Vietnam is on Vodafone’s $5 Roaming list, so you pay AUD$5 extra per day and use your existing plan’s data, calls and texts. For a 10-day trip up the coast that’s AUD$50 on top of your bill. A Travelren Vietnam eSIM for the same trip is about AUD$11.50. Honest math on where each one wins is below.
Travelren is an Aussie-built eSIM brand and we sell Vietnam plans, so we have a stake here. Vodafone’s $5 Roaming is the cheapest headline roaming rate of the big three Australian carriers — here’s when it beats an eSIM and when it doesn’t.
The quick answer
- Vodafone $5 Roaming in Vietnam: AUD$5/day, uses your plan’s own data/calls/texts, speed-capped, max 90 days per calendar year.
- Travelren eSIM, 3GB / 30 days: about AUD$8.50. 5GB / 30 days: about AUD$11.50.
- Crossover: $5 Roaming is line-ball for a single day; the eSIM wins clearly from day three, and by a wide margin on a multi-city trip.
How Vodafone’s $5 Roaming actually works in Vietnam
Land in Hanoi, Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City, switch on your phone, and Vodafone connects you to a local partner — Viettel and Vinaphone have the strongest coverage nationwide, including Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and the Mekong Delta. You’re charged a flat AUD$5 on any calendar day you use the service, drawing down your normal monthly plan inclusions rather than a separate travel pack.
That detail cuts both ways:
- Good: on a large or unlimited plan, $5/day is cheap — no double-buying data.
- Watch out: a two-week trip on a small plan can drain your home allowance; Vodafone then auto-adds 1GB for $5, and $5/GB after.
$5 Roaming detail
- AUD$5 per calendar day, charged only on days you use the service
- Uses your plan’s included data, calls and SMS — no separate roaming bucket
- Speeds capped (up to 1.5–25 Mbps depending on plan) — fine for maps, chat, streaming
- Over your plan data it auto-adds 1GB for $5, then $5/GB
- Maximum 90 days of $5 Roaming per calendar year
What an eSIM costs for the same Vietnam trip
Travelren Vietnam plans (AUD, current as of July 2026):
- 1GB / 7 days: about AUD$4 — a weekend with hotel WiFi
- 3GB / 30 days: about AUD$8.50 — plenty for a 1-week trip
- 5GB / 30 days: about AUD$11.50 — comfortable for 10 days to two weeks
- 10GB / 30 days: about AUD$20 — heavy use, tethering, north-to-south itineraries
The eSIM runs on Viettel/Vinaphone and its data is separate — it never touches your Australian plan. Browse the full Vietnam eSIM range.
Break-even math
| Trip length | Vodafone $5 Roaming | Travelren eSIM | Cheaper option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | AUD$5 | AUD$4 (1GB / 7 days) | eSIM by $1 |
| 3 days | AUD$15 | AUD$8.50 (3GB / 30 days) | eSIM saves AUD$6.50 |
| 1 week | AUD$35 | AUD$8.50 (3GB / 30 days) | eSIM saves AUD$26.50 |
| 10 days | AUD$50 | AUD$11.50 (5GB / 30 days) | eSIM saves AUD$38.50 |
| 2 weeks (Hanoi to HCMC) | AUD$70 | AUD$20 (10GB / 30 days) | eSIM saves AUD$50 |
| 3 weeks | AUD$105 | AUD$20 (10GB / 30 days) | eSIM saves AUD$85 |
The Vodafone column assumes you stay inside your home data. On a longer north-to-south trip with a small plan, add $5 per extra gigabyte and the eSIM’s lead grows.
The $5-Roaming data trap
“$5 a day” hides that your Vietnam data comes out of your home allowance. Use 7GB over a two-week trip on a 15GB plan and you come home with the month half gone — heavy users pay for that data twice. An eSIM avoids it: your 5GB Vietnam plan is 5GB of Vietnam data, your Australian allowance stays whole, and your home number still receives calls and 2FA texts as long as your phone is dual-SIM (nearly every Australian phone since 2018).
When Vodafone $5 Roaming is actually the right call
- 1-day layovers — for a single connecting day $5 is fine with nothing to install
- You’re on a large or unlimited plan — no double-buying, so $5/day is decent value
- You make standard voice calls — $5 Roaming includes calls on your own number; an eSIM is data-only
- Single-SIM phone — keeps your Aussie number live without swapping SIMs
- You don’t want to set anything up — auto-activates on landing
Will your phone work?
Almost certainly. iPhone XS+ (2018+), Pixel 3+, and Galaxy S20+ all support eSIM, and Australian iPhones keep a physical SIM tray, so your Vodafone number and a Vietnam eSIM run side by side. The exception is iPhones bought in mainland China (no eSIM hardware). Our device check page has the full list.
Common questions
Can’t I just buy a SIM at the airport?
You can — Viettel and Vinaphone counters at Noi Bai, Da Nang and Tan Son Nhat sell tourist SIMs for roughly VND 200,000–300,000 (AUD$12–18) for a week. The eSIM at AUD$8.50 is cheaper, skips the passport-registration queue, and is active before you meet your Grab driver.
Do I need a VPN in Vietnam?
Generally no. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Google all work normally in Vietnam — it’s not China. Some travellers use a VPN for privacy on public WiFi, but you don’t need one for everyday apps on either an eSIM or $5 Roaming.
Will Grab work?
Yes. Grab is the main ride and food app in Vietnam and runs on any data connection with your existing account — no Vietnamese number required.
Will WhatsApp and Zalo keep my Australian number?
Yes. Both are tied to your number registration, not the network. With data from any source they keep working on your usual number (Zalo is Vietnam’s local messenger, handy for hotels and tours).
The bottom line
For a single connecting day, Vodafone’s $5 Roaming is fine. For any real Vietnam trip, an eSIM is meaningfully cheaper and protects your home data: 10 days is about AUD$11.50 with Travelren versus AUD$50 on $5 Roaming.
See the full Travelren Vietnam eSIM range →