I'm currently using Viettel. At least in their main shop here in Nha Trang the staff spoke good enough English that they were able to understand what I wanted. Just tell them you want the 3g plan with the monthly fee.
You may have to go into an actual shop to get this set up. The people selling sims on the side of the road aren't very tech savvy in my experience.
"Tried to do the same in a tourist city (not a tier 1 city), beginning of May, didn't work."
I'm curious - did you go to an official China Unicom store (i.e. owned and operated by China Unicom) or an independent retailer that happens to sell SIM cards?
"I wanted a full SIM, not a data only SIM though, which one did you get?"
I had zero trouble getting a SIM with China Mobile. I pre-paid $1/RMB per day plus a deposit in case I went over my daily usage. It took a bit of time that day because of language issues but I was fine.
When I was in Thailand, one carrier had the ability to co-opt my China unicom SIM and provide service there. I don't think my SIM was a soft one, I think they were actually co-opting the numbers!
Similar approach for Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Korea, Japan.
First, check if any of the big few domestic carriers have a temporary or contract free esim. In Japan, for example, NTT Docomo does.
When you get to Japan you are going to find an operator NTT Docomo physical store, the second most popular. The virtual SIM cards of this company have the following characteristics:
- Data plans of 1 to 7 GB.
- 4G LTE connection.
- No minimum clause or contracts.
- Exclusive virtual SIM cards for 5G devices.
Otherwise, Google "esim Japan" and use any of the gazillion variations of esimjapan, or use a trusted one you have an account with like GigSky, Truphone, or HolaFly.
Giving you real example of buying SIM card in 3 countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Russia) within last 6 months:
You step into the shop/kiosk at the airport (or in the city, however you prefer). They ask you to choose any SIM with desired numbers, plans are clearly well-written, take xerox of your passport (or click a snap of it), and plug the SIM in, pay money, reboot phone, and that's it. It did not take me more than 10 minutes in any scenario.
In all cases, it is cheaper (than using Airalo - and why are we promoting one app anyway!)and less hassle-free than buying eSIM.
This is still an option, and last time I was passing through the HK airport I noticed that a shop next to immigration was selling very reasonably priced data bundles with that kind of dual-network SIM. Highly recommended for those who only stay for a week or two.
I went to Japan and used Ubigi, which has service basically anywhere, to add dual-SIM and have data. I also used Airalo. Both worked great with e-SIM, and it was painless to get data activated and working. There was also a large variety of plans to choose from. I really liked the whole experience!
The point of the site is to find out where to purchase a prepaid GSM SIM to use in an existing phone. Not where to buy all new equipment on an unreliable service.
Okay but how do you get local prices if there is no local eSIM? The best you can hope for is a travel SIM which may be multiple times more expensive than a local SIM.
You may have to go into an actual shop to get this set up. The people selling sims on the side of the road aren't very tech savvy in my experience.
reply