Vietnam coverage

madbrain76
madbrain76 Nov 27, 2017 9:24 PM
  • Member Since: Sep 7, 2017

    I travel frequently to Vietnam, more than anywhere else (even more than domestically).

    T-mobile used to have roaming agreements with Vietnam. Some years ago, those agreements ended.

    Why ? And when is it coming back ?

     

    I find it really annoying to purchase SIMs in Vietnam every year, and swap SIMs. The phones that T-mobile sells are single SIM.

    • 23464 Views
    • 7 Replies
    • Latest reply on Dec 29, 2017 7:25 AM by tplife

      All replies

      • drnewcomb2

        Re: Vietnam coverage

        drnewcomb2 Sep 8, 2017 3:06 AM (in response to madbrain76)
        • Member Since: Mar 9, 2014

        You're talking about the data? Voice and texts work. Right?

          • madbrain76

            Re: Vietnam coverage

            madbrain76 Sep 8, 2017 4:20 AM (in response to drnewcomb2)
            • Member Since: Sep 7, 2017

            I don't know if voice "works", but at $5.99 / minute roaming rate, I could not afford to find out.

            Texts are $0.50 each.

             

            Data indeed does not work at all in Vietnam with a T-Mobile SIM.

              • drnewcomb2

                Re: Vietnam coverage

                drnewcomb2 Sep 8, 2017 6:55 AM (in response to madbrain76)
                • Member Since: Mar 9, 2014

                That rate seems out of line. Piranha Mobile charges 52¢ for outgoing and 38¢ for incoming calls and outgoing texts. Data is $1.91/MB which is pretty high. Not the cheapest country but not $5.99/min either. 

                 

                In Vietnam, Vodafone UK charges £2.00/min for outgoing and £1.30/min for incoming calls. 50p for texts and £1.50/MB for data. So, it's not a cheap roaming country for UK roamers either.

                 

                My suggestion is to just take two phones, one with your T-Mobile SIM and the other with a local prepaid. Forward all your T-Mobile calls to voicemail leaving a message asking callers to send you a text or call you on the Vietnamese number.

                1 of 1 people found this helpful
                  • madbrain76

                    Re: Vietnam coverage

                    madbrain76 Sep 8, 2017 3:56 PM (in response to drnewcomb2)
                    • Member Since: Sep 7, 2017

                    I wouldn't need 2 phones to setup forwarding, just do it once and switch the SIM.

                     

                    We have to keep buying new VN SIMs each time we travel there, since the old ones expire, and we get a new number each time.

                     

                    The cost of the VN SIMs is not high, it is the inconvenience factor that is high, given that VN is our #1 travel destination.

              • tmo_marissa

                Re: Vietnam coverage

                tmo_marissa Sep 12, 2017 4:37 PM (in response to madbrain76)
                • Member Since: Sep 7, 2016

                Hi there, madbrain76! While we don't have any insight into the roaming agreements in Vietnam or know of any upcoming changes, we can absolutely appreciate that if it's a frequent destination for your family, having it included as a Simple Global country would be ideal. We appreciate the feedback and will pass it on!

                 

                - Marissa

                • tplife

                  Re: Vietnam coverage

                  tplife Dec 29, 2017 7:25 AM (in response to madbrain76)
                  • Member Since: Dec 28, 2017

                  A MobiPhone GSM sim card in Vietnam is about $4 for two months:  "The card is sold naked, no instructions, the web site has more info and there is a number 9393 for English help. Pressing the sequence *101# the phone will receive info on credit and expiration date. International calls to USA and Europe are cheap, around 4.000 VND per minute, direct dial.".