Eye on Roaming Charges – Vietnam

As the country’s economy continues to expand, more UK business travellers are setting their sights on Vietnam. Figures released by the Department for International Trade (DIT) suggest that more than 30,000 UK businesses trade with Vietnam annually, attracted by the region’s high GDP growth rate and its young and growing workforce.

But just as is the case when heading to any foreign market for business purposes, travellers and enterprises setting their sights on Vietnam are often stung by high roaming costs. Just like when venturing into any new international market for business endeavors, travelers and businesses aiming for Vietnam frequently encounter the challenge of steep roaming charges. Despite the fast-growing popularity of Vietnam, as a business travel destination, many mainstream carriers continue to charge high rates for those who use their devices while in the country. Although Vietnam is rapidly gaining popularity as a business travel destination, numerous major carriers still impose high fees on individuals using their devices while in the country.

Typical Roaming Charges for UK Travellers to Vietnam

Exactly how much you can expect to pay to stay connected while visiting Vietnam can vary significantly, depending on your mobile network operator and the specifics of your agreement. However, a general overview of typical costs as of early 2024 is as follows:

Calls:

• Outgoing calls to the UK: £1.99 per minute*
• Incoming calls from the UK: £1.76 per minute*
• Outgoing calls to Vietnam: £0.56 per minute*
• Incoming calls from Vietnam: £0.45 per minute*

Data:

• Data usage: £0.50 per MB*
• Outgoing picture messages to the UK: £0.80 per message

Perhaps the most eye-opening of these average costs is the potential to pay as much as £0.50 per MB of data. This could make it practically impossible to conduct any essential business activities involving mobile devices, without accumulating an excessively high bill.

Simple everyday tasks like video calling, sending files as email attachments, or using a broad range of productivity apps could quickly become expensive, due to the speed at which they consume data.

Reducing Data Consumption: An Imperfect Solution

The approach most commonly adopted by businesses to negate these potentially excessive costs is to curb device usage, in order to minimise data consumption. The typical strategy employed by businesses to mitigate these potentially inflated expenses is to limit device usage, aiming to reduce data consumption. While this has the potential to be a viable option, it rarely proves convenient or productive.

Restricting workers’ device usage while travelling for business can have a negative impact on productivity and efficiency. Likewise, the use of free Wi-Fi as a measure to keep costs under control can bring any number of security issues into play.

All of this makes this seemingly sensible approach an imperfect solution, calling for something that better suits the needs of real-world business travellers in Vietnam.

Bespoke Roaming Agreements

Irrespective of where your business travel plans take you, the key to enjoying reliable and affordable roaming lies in the personalisation of your agreement. Every business travelling to Vietnam is fundamentally unique yet may find itself restricted to the standard terms and conditions of its generic mobile contract.

The issue with many mainstream network agreements is how they lack the flexibility needed to ensure your organisation’s unique requirements are covered. At RoamingExpert, we approach the whole thing from an entirely different angle.

From start to finish, every aspect of your roaming agreement is tailored to align with exactly what your business requires. This means you get everything your travelling workforce needs and nothing it doesn’t, whether travelling to Vietnam or anywhere else in the world. From beginning to end, every element of your roaming agreement is customised to align precisely with your business needs. This ensures that your travelling workforce receives everything necessary and nothing extraneous, whether they are journeying to Vietnam or any other destination worldwide.

Here’s how we provide businesses like yours with an unbeatable deal:

1. We get to know your business. Along with taking the time to get to know how your business operates, we also look at your past mobile usage requirements and future travel plans.
2. We create a bespoke proposal. Based on the information you provide and our own analysis, our team crafts a bespoke proposal from scratch to cover your needs at home and abroad.
3. We reach an agreement. With RoamingExpert, your business benefits from a monthly rolling agreement, with the flexibility to make amendments or additions to your coverage at any time.
4. We set the service in motion. Once an agreement has been reached, we activate your service package. You can then monitor and control all aspects of your service package via your user-friendly online dashboard.
5. We work with you to optimise your package. Every step of the way, your account manager and the full RoamingExpert team are behind you, with the support and advice you need to maximise the value of your package.

Whether you are planning a one-off trip to Vietnam or looking to reduce your roaming costs on a longer-term basis, we would be delighted to hear from you to discuss the options available. With no obligation to go ahead, our team will provide you with the information and insights you need to make the right choice for your business.

If you’d like to find out more about our process, please check out how it works here and of course, feel free to give our team a call anytime on +44 (0) 3300 555 777.

*information References about roaming charges for UK travellers to Vietnam collected and averaged out from a variety of sources, including several UK mobile network operators (EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three), roaming comparison websites such as CompareMyMobile and MoneySavingExpert, and travel websites including TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet.