A Russian phone number works in Vietnam best as a second SIM that only receives SMS, while a Vietnamese SIM carries your data. Roaming on the Russian SIM costs 590 ₽ a day at MTS and 489 ₽ a day for unlimited data at T2, so it is a poor way to stay online for weeks. The SIM itself is worth keeping: bank codes, Gosuslugi and the number you have owned for years all depend on it.
What should stay on the Russian SIM in Vietnam?
Keep the Russian SIM for incoming SMS and calls from your bank, and turn mobile data off on it. Incoming SMS from Russia arrive as long as the SIM is registered on a Vietnamese network and roaming is enabled, and T2 charges 0 ₽ for incoming SMS in Vietnam. Your phone then needs two active slots: Russian SIM for codes, Vietnamese SIM or eSIM for the internet.
One trap sits in this setup. Some travel eSIMs give data only, with no Vietnamese number, no SMS and no voice calls. A bank code can never reach such an eSIM, so the Russian SIM has to stay in the phone, in a physical slot or as a second eSIM.
How do you keep a Russian number alive while you live in Vietnam?
You can either send one SMS every 90 days or pay for number protection. A Russian operator may end your contract if the number is unused for at least 90 days, and it must warn you 10 calendar days before. That rule comes from Government Decree No. 1994. Use means a paid call, an SMS or a data session. Topping up the balance does not count as use at several operators.
Prices as of October 2026, as reported by operator pages and the iGuides review. Confirm them in your account before paying:
| Operator | Service | Price | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| MegaFon | Number Saving Abroad | 69 ₽ per 30 days | switched on with 1051961# |
| MTS | Save My Number | 349 ₽ per 6 months | renews itself |
| MTS | Number Forever | 1,500 ₽ once | not available on convergent plans, the bundles of mobile plus home internet or TV |
| Beeline | Number Loss Protection | 149 ₽ per 90 days or 999 ₽ for 5 years | fee is not refunded |
| T2 | Eternal Number | 0 ₽ | only for new SIMs and numbers ported into T2 |
A number that has been switched off can be returned at a MegaFon shop if it has not yet been passed to another subscriber. The inactivity limit differs by operator and contract: MegaFon uses 90 days, and MTS and Beeline are reported at up to 6 months. Read your own contract, then set a phone reminder for day 80.
Long stays in Vietnam hinge less on the number than on the visa stamp: a 90-day e‑visa is often shorter than the stay you plan, and the same clock runs on your visa as on your SIM. You can fill in the application on evisa.gov.vn yourself in an evening, but the portal usually rejects Russian bank cards, and the state fee is $25 for a single entry or $50 for multiple entries. BestBus Vietnam handles the whole 90-day e‑visa application: I fill in the form, pay the fee with my own card and choose the right entry point. Message me your arrival date and I will tell you which option fits. If a foreign card gets blocked later in the trip, read why foreign cards stop working in Vietnam.
Which Vietnamese SIM should carry your data?
A Vietnamese SIM is the cheapest way to get data. A 30-day Viettel package costs about 150,000-200,000 dong, roughly $6-8, and Vinaphone and MobiFone sit in the same range or cheaper. Viettel has the widest coverage outside the cities, with about 54% of the market.
Bring your original passport: a SIM is registered to its owner, and unregistered SIMs get blocked within days. A shop of the operator or an airport kiosk is safer than a street seller. Our guide to paying by card in Vietnam covers what to do about payments once your data works.
How do you log in to Gosuslugi without an SMS code?
Use a code from MAX, the Russian state-backed messenger that you can connect only while logging in to Gosuslugi, a one-time TOTP code from an authenticator app, or biometrics. Gosuslugi, the Russian state services portal, has been phasing out SMS confirmation on smartphones since December 2025 because of fraud, while SMS stays for desktop login. Set a second method up before you fly, while SMS to your Russian number still arrives.
The official Gosuslugi help page lists four confirmation methods: SMS, MAX code, TOTP and biometrics. You change the method in your profile under Security and Login. Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Yandex Key and Duo Mobile all work for TOTP. If you lose the phone with the app, a one-time code will not let you in, and biometrics needs a camera on a computer or in the Gosuslugi app.
What does roaming actually cost in Vietnam?
Roaming in Vietnam is priced in rubles per day. MTS charges 590 ₽ a day for its Abroad option, which includes 1 GB of data and 20 minutes of calls to Russian numbers, then 39 ₽ a minute. T2 charges 489 ₽ a day for unlimited data, although speed drops to 128 Kbit/s after the first gigabyte of the day, and 50 ₽ a minute for calls to Russia.
| Operator | Option | Price | What is inside |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTS | Abroad | 590 ₽ per day | 1 GB a day and 20 minutes to Russia, then 39 ₽ a minute |
| T2 | unlimited data | 489 ₽ per day | speed drops to 128 Kbit/s after 1 GB |
| T2 | 1 GB pack | 800 ₽ for 7 days | data only |
| T2 | 10 GB pack | 3,900 ₽ for 30 days | data only |
| T2 | calls to Russia | 50 ₽ a minute | outgoing SMS 25 ₽, incoming SMS free |
T2 has also switched outgoing calls from roaming to Russian numbers into the home plan minutes in more than 70 countries since March 2026, so check in your account whether Vietnam is on that list. These figures come from the MTS and T2 pages dated 18 October 2026. Beeline and MegaFon change their Vietnam prices often, so read them in your account before departure.
Switch off call forwarding and voicemail before you leave. T2 bills forwarded calls and voicemail at roaming rates, and the code ##002# cancels both. T2 also sells an option called Talk Without Borders for 7 ₽ a day that cuts incoming calls to 7 ₽ a minute, which pays off only if people call you every day.
What happens to your SMS when you fly back to Russia?
For 24 hours after you return, mobile data and SMS on the Russian SIM may be blocked, while voice calls still work. This is a cooling-off period for a Russian SIM that has been in international roaming, and it has been in testing since 10 November 2025 under the Ministry of Digital Development.
You remove the block with the link in the operator’s SMS, which needs a captcha, or by calling the support line. Plan for it if you land and need a bank code in the first hours.
Step-by-step: set up your phone before you fly
The whole setup takes one evening and needs three things: your Russian SIM still working, a phone with two slots and your passport for the Vietnamese SIM. Do the steps in this order, because step 1 needs an SMS to your Russian number.
- Add a second Gosuslugi login method, TOTP or MAX, and test it from your phone.
- Cancel call forwarding and voicemail so roaming rates do not apply to them.
- Buy a roaming option for your travel dates or number protection, and leave a balance on the account.
- Put the Russian SIM in the second slot with its data switched off, so only the Vietnamese line goes online.
- Add a repeating reminder to send one SMS from the Russian SIM before the inactivity limit runs out.
- Buy a Vietnamese SIM on arrival with your passport.
Which setup fits you?
A short trip under a week can live on a Russian roaming option. For a month or longer, put data on a Vietnamese SIM, keep the Russian one for codes, and pick a paid number-protection plan from MegaFon, MTS or Beeline.
Your phone will take an evening to set up, and you can do it without me. A visa stamp that expires is less forgiving: overstaying ends in a fine when you leave and questions at your next entry, and a missed date is easy to prevent. Send your trip dates on WhatsApp and I will check which visa you need and when you have to leave.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a VPN to open Gosuslugi or a bank app from Vietnam?
The Ministry of Digital Development has made no official statement on blocking foreign IP addresses. Some outlets report that Gosuslugi opens without a VPN and others report that it does not, so test your login before you leave. A VPN can trigger a “turn off VPN” banner.
What if I lose both my number and my Gosuslugi access?
Access is restored at an MFC office, where an employee recovers the account. The other route is to register a new account at a bank that is a Gosuslugi partner. A phone number linked to a bank is changed at a bank branch.
Can I get a Russian eSIM while I am already in Vietnam?
No ban exists yet. In June 2026 Kommersant reported a proposal to forbid registering Russian eSIMs from abroad, as part of anti-fraud measures. The Ministry has not confirmed it and no decision exists, so set the eSIM up before you travel.
Do I have to show my face to buy a Vietnamese SIM?
Since 15 April 2026, Circular 08/2026 requires new subscriptions to be checked against a document and a face scan. How a foreigner passes the check depends on the operator, so ask at the counter. If you change phones, the operator blocks outgoing calls and SMS within 2 hours until you pass the face check, and you have 30 days.
Why did my Russian bank website stop opening in Chrome in August 2026?
On 3 August 2026 sites of Sber, VTB, Alfa-Bank and others stopped opening in Chrome, Safari and Edge because the banks moved to the certificates of the Ministry’s national certificate authority. Yandex Browser opens them, and VTB advises installing the Russian certificates.
