Quick facts
| Country code | +84 |
| Mobile number | 0 plus nine digits, for example 0912 345 678 |
| From abroad | +84 912 345 678, without the first zero |
| Hanoi landlines | area code 24 |
| Ho Chi Minh City landlines | area code 28 |
| Police | 113 |
| Fire | 114 |
| Ambulance | 115 |
Writing a Vietnamese number
A Vietnamese mobile number has ten digits when you write it the way people in Vietnam write it: a zero, then nine more. The zero at the front is a national trunk prefix. It tells the network that a domestic call is coming, and it is not part of the number itself.
That is why the zero disappears in the international form. Vietnam’s country code is +84, assigned under the international numbering plan that the ITU maintains, and the number follows straight after it:
- Domestic: 0912 345 678
- International: +84 912 345 678
Both reach the same phone. If someone hands you a number that begins with 84 and has no plus, add one. If it begins with 0 and you are dialling from outside the country, take that zero off.
Which network a number belongs to
The first three digits after the zero say which network issued the line. This is useful when a plan is advertised for one network, and when you want to know whose coverage you are buying.
| Network | Prefixes |
|---|---|
| Viettel | 032 to 039, 086, 096, 097, 098 |
| VinaPhone | 081 to 085, 088, 091, 094 |
| MobiFone | 070, 076 to 079, 089, 090, 093 |
| iTel | 087 |
| VNSKY | 0777 |
| Wintel | 055 |
Prefixes move between owners over the years, so treat this as a guide to the common ones rather than a complete registry. What each network is like to use on the road is covered in how Vietnam’s three networks compare.
Calling out of Vietnam
To call another country from a Vietnamese line, dial 00, then the country code, then the number. From a mobile, the plus sign replaces the 00.
Calls to foreign numbers are charged at international rates by whichever operator issued the SIM in your phone. Most visitors avoid them entirely by calling over data in WhatsApp, Zalo, Messenger or FaceTime, which cost nothing beyond the data they use. The apps worth installing before you land covers which ones Vietnamese businesses actually answer.
Emergency numbers
Three short numbers cover emergencies, and the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam lists them as the local equivalent of a 911 line:
- 113 police
- 114 fire
- 115 ambulance
They are reachable from any phone with signal. A phone with no SIM can generally still place an emergency call, though whether that works depends on the handset and the network it finds.
Getting a Vietnamese number
A travel eSIM gives you data, and sometimes a Vietnamese number as well. The two are separate things, and it matters more than people expect: a number is what lets you receive an SMS code from a delivery app, a bank or a hotel.
Prepaid lines in Vietnam are registered to a passport, so a number that comes with a plan has already been registered by the seller. What that involves, and when a physical card makes more sense, is set out in what to know before you buy a Vietnam SIM card. If you only need maps and messaging, a data-only plan from our Vietnam eSIM store is enough.
Before you dial
- Save every Vietnamese contact as +84 and no zero.
- Put 113, 114 and 115 in your phone before you travel, not after something happens.
- Check whether your plan includes a Vietnamese number if you expect SMS codes.
- Keep your home SIM active for the codes your bank sends you.