Phones & Internet in HCMC

I dream about the future, where one day the whole world is truly connected, everyone has a 3G smartphone and there's free wi-fi everywhere - hang on a second, they have that in Saigon already!

Well, nearly. Everyone in HCMC has a phone and by western standards the cost of making local calls and browsing the internet from you phone is negligible. 99% of cafes, bars and restaurants have free wi-fi and even international calls made from a Vietnamese number are incredibly cheap.

Whilst I lived in HCMC, my monthly expenditure was less than $50 p/m and I was permanently on the Internet, my mobile was my internet hotspot at home, I called family and friends mobile phones in the UK without worrying about time and even used it for business to call Australia - my guess is that it would be 10 times more expensive from the UK or Australia.

There are a few networks in Vietnam, the main ones being MobiFone or VinaPhone and you can pick up a SIM card from almost every street corner. They typically cost 50,000 VND, but that includes 50,000 worth of credit.

Wherever you see a sign for either MobiFone or VinaPhone, they sell SIM and credit top up vouchers which come in 50,000VND, 100,000VND and 500,000VND scratch cards. There are often promotions, so sometimes you get bonus credit totalling more than you paid for, or get a few thousand VND back in change - it's insane!

There is a lively going out scene in Saigon, most young Vietnamese live at home with their parents and don't drink alcohol, so there is a thriving Cafe scene. The expat community take full advantage of the food and drink, it is often cheaper to go out and eat than to go to the supermarket, buy food and cook at home - very last season.

So the net result is that almost everywhere you go in HCMC you can access a free wi-fi hotspot. They are usually password protected, but your friendly waiter / waitress / bartender will tell you the password and if you check the settings on your phone, it should remember the password and automatically connect next time you visit.

Now when will the rest of the world catch on...