Should we buy a mobile phone in Vietnam to use while on holiday over 3 weeks. We would only call Australia or bring our phone from aus. We are wondering with phone rates, it might be cheaper to buy a new one in vietnam over 3 weeks. We are also going to Cambodia for a few weeks too
Tnks franji
if you have an extra phone in Australia, you should bring it and buy 1 Phone Number to use during your time in Vietnam. It's very useful for you when you take tour at here.
On the other hand, u could buy 1 simple mobile phone when you come here. It will cost you about 30$/mobile.
Good luck!
Tnks we want to use it to call relatives in Australia and not be ripped off by the rates our phone company charges us in Aussie.
We just thought by a cheap phone there & buy pre paid vouchers or cards like you can do in Australia.
What do we do ?
Phones in vn are old models and expensive. I think it is a dumping ground for the phones we dont want. Just get a vn sim.
Phones old models and expensive??? Huh?? Franj...... Cell phones are all the rage here. You can even buy the apple 4g if you want. In the years that I travelled over here, I would purchase the cheapest phone possible, use it for the time I stayed, and them make some unknowing person that helped me out very happy when I gave them a phone as a tip, or a gift.
Right now you can buy a cheap, small Nokia for about 25 USD. Have the store change the software to English for you. A Sim card with time n it will cosst you about 3 dollars.
Owee
Edited: 12 years ago
Contributor 
9,039 posts
57 reviews 
34 helpful votes Phones are not expensive here and you can get the latest models(there not cheap)As Owee says $25-30 gets you a cheap nokia.I just bought the 1280 model,no problems.
So you can bring your phone from Aus and put a Vietnamese sim in or buy a cheapie here.Sms to Aus are dead cheap and calls not expensive.Good coverage all over the country.
Tnks will the phone we buy in Vietnam work ok when we go onto Cambodia after for a few weeks ? Cheers franji
Yes, it works and buy a new prepaid sim card in cambodia with new number.
In Vietnam I buy another local card code like 1737 center (Cost US$3 Talk 20minutes)for the cheapest cost whenever I call back the u.s.
Or you can get internet call at some internet Cafe. It is real cheap.
Cheers
Contributor
11,213 posts
54 reviews
43 helpful votes You can just bring your OZ phone and providing its unlocked, buy a VN sim card. Same for when you go to Cambodia. Sometimes I have problems with getting both voice and SMS from a VN Sim card and this may just be down to VN equipment, so that will apply as well if you buy a VN phone. Sim cards cost around $6 and do last much longer than OZ rates.
Cheers Ross
yes owee, imho they are expensive and old rubbish generally.
owee, i lived in china and the phones you have in vn are the reject stuff the westerners/chinese don't want. the philippines is a bit the same as well. i am certain of it. i did lots of stores over, in both hanoi and hcmc, as i kill phones on a regular basis. in the end i got friend who was coming in from shanghai at that time to bring me some phones. half the price and newer models to boot.
i am not about to change my mind as i did the hard yards scouring all sorts of retailers for the rotten things!
All I can say is I have more choice here with phones than I do in the UK. Blackberry, Iphones, HTC, whatever the make and model, you name it, it is here. Cost wise isn't too bad either (except maybe the 4G Iphone). As for phone calls (even phoning the UK) and text..... so cheap!
Edited: 12 years ago
