Viettel is pushing eSIM further into the mainstream in Vietnam with a new 5G offer aimed specifically at customers activating a new eSIM line.

The package costs VND 125,000 for 30 days and includes 10GB of high-speed data per day. That works out to as much as 300GB across a full 30-day cycle if the daily allowance is used in full. Viettel says the offer is exclusive to new eSIM subscribers and can be purchased through its Viettel Tammi app.

On paper, the headline is the unusually generous data allowance. The more interesting part, however, is what Viettel is doing around it: treating eSIM not as an add-on or device feature, but as a customer-acquisition channel in its own right.

A 5G plan built around eSIM

The new package is straightforward:

• Data: 10GB of high-speed data per day
• Price: VND 125,000
• Validity: 30 days
• Eligibility: new Viettel eSIM subscribers
• Purchase channel: Viettel Tammi app

Viettel announced the plan on September 24, 2026, positioning it as a high-speed 5G package rather than simply another SIM promotion.

READ MORE: Digital Sub-Brands: Growth Engine, Price Fence or Churn Training Ground?

That distinction matters. Operators have spent years supporting eSIM technically, but the commercial experience has often remained tied to the old SIM model: visit a shop, identify yourself, receive activation details and then manage the line much as before.

Viettel has been steadily removing those friction points. In August, the operator introduced QR-code-free eSIM activation on compatible iOS devices, allowing customers to activate a new number directly on the phone. It has also been promoting eSIM conversion and new-line registration through Tammi, its replacement for the My Viettel app.

The result is a more digital onboarding path from choosing a number and package to activating connectivity.

Why the timing matters

The launch arrives during a much bigger network transition in Vietnam.

Viettel formally shut down its 2G network nationwide on September 15, 2026, while continuing to move users toward 4G and 5G. The operator said 99% of its customers were already using voice and data over 4G or 5G by the time of the shutdown. Vietnam News also reported in September that 5G subscriptions across Vietnam had nearly doubled year on year.

READ MORE: Mobile Data Solved Connectivity. It Didn’t Solve Communication.

Against that backdrop, an eSIM-only acquisition offer makes strategic sense. A newer eSIM-capable handset is also likely to be a 4G/5G-capable handset, so promoting eSIM helps Viettel pull customers toward the devices, network layers and app-based service model it wants to grow.

It is therefore less about replacing a piece of plastic and more about changing the way a mobile subscription is sold and activated.

What travelers should notice

There is an obvious travel angle, but it needs some qualification.

Viettel already markets eSIM connectivity to visitors to Vietnam and provides tourist-focused guidance covering purchase and activation. For travelers who want direct access to a Vietnamese operator rather than a roaming eSIM intermediary, that can be attractive, particularly for longer stays or users who want a local mobile service.

However, Viettel’s new VND 125,000 offer is described specifically as an incentive for new eSIM subscribers. The announcement does not present it as a dedicated international-tourist package, so visitors should not assume they will automatically qualify under the same onboarding conditions.

READ MORE: Telcos Built eSIM. Travel eSIM Brands Built the Demand.

There is also a practical trade-off. A locally issued operator eSIM may require identity verification and local registration steps, while many travel-eSIM providers prioritize advance purchase and near-instant data activation before arrival.

Travelers choosing between the two are therefore comparing not only price and data, but convenience, registration and whether they need a local number or a data-only product.

Viettel is turning eSIM into a sales tool

This is where the offer becomes more interesting than the raw 10GB-per-day allowance.

Across the travel-connectivity market, specialist eSIM brands have trained consumers to expect app-based purchase, instant activation and flexible digital plans. Mobile operators increasingly have to match that experience while also using an advantage the travel-eSIM sector cannot fully replicate: direct control over their own network, local numbering, subscriber relationship and domestic service ecosystem.

Viettel’s recent moves — app-based onboarding, cheaper eSIM conversion, QR-free iOS activation and now an eSIM-specific 5G acquisition plan — point in that direction. In July, Viettel also reduced physical-SIM-to-eSIM conversion fees, with additional incentives for customers completing the process digitally through Tammi.

What could still be clearer is eligibility. Viettel would make the proposition easier to understand by spelling out whether foreigners, short-term visitors and existing Viettel users opening an additional eSIM line can access the promotion, and what happens to the plan after the first 30-day cycle.

Conclusion

The real story here is not that Viettel has launched another cheap data package. Vietnam is already a highly competitive mobile market, and aggressive data allowances are hardly unusual.

What stands out is that eSIM itself is becoming part of the tariff strategy.

Travel-eSIM companies helped normalize the idea that connectivity should be bought digitally, installed in minutes and managed without visiting a telecom shop. Operators such as Viettel are now bringing that same expectation into the domestic mobile relationship — with 5G, local service and network ownership behind it.

For consumers, that competition should be useful. Travelers who value pre-arrival simplicity may still prefer a specialist travel eSIM, while longer-stay visitors and local users may find a direct operator eSIM more compelling. For Viettel, the bigger opportunity is to make that decision feel as effortless as buying a travel eSIM in the first place.