Vietnam might be a tourist hot spot, but the country’s cyberspace is heavily regulated and censored.
Even though Vietnam attracts more than 8 million travelers from around the world each year, its autocratic one-party system leaves no stone unturned to when it comes to constricting free speech and the rights of journalists.
By implementing their so-called Bamboo Firewall that works similarly to China’s GFW, the Vietnamese government heavily monitors and blocks foreign websites and social networking sites like Facebook.
Considering the deteriorating condition of Vietnamese cyberspace, I’ve come up with a list some of the best Vietnam VPN you can use in 2020.
So without further ado, let’s kick off this blog with a brief overview of my handpicked VPNs that works best in Vietnam…
- PureVPN – Recommend VPN service with 2000+ servers worldwide & 6 exclusive servers in Hanoi.
- Surfshark – Cheapest VPN with 1,700+ global servers & exclusive support for Vietnam.
- NordVPN – 15 Vietnamese servers and a huge selection of overseas servers for strong privacy.
- ExpressVPN – Literally the fastest VPN in the industry with servers all over the globe.
- CyberGhost – A budget VPN service with 19 servers in Ho Chi Minh & over 5,600 servers worldwide.
- Ivacy VPN – A massive VPN service with global 1,000+ servers & 10 exclusive servers for Vietnam.
Best VPN Services for Vietnam in 2020
If the search for the right VPN is driving you crazy, you’ve come to the right place because I have tested 100s of VPNs and shortlisted some of the best ones just for you.
So, here is the list of the best VPNs for Vietnam.
1. PureVPN – Best for Vietnam
PureVPN is a Hong Kong-based provider offering its services in 140+ countries through 2,000+ servers worldwide. It has 6 servers in Vietnam that will help you access Vietnamese content from outside the country.
Moreover, you can experience a list of comprehensive features like Kill switch, leak protection and powerful encryption on your devices like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and routers.
PureVPN being the best price VPN, comes at an affordable price $2.91/mo , 31-day refund policy, and 10 simultaneous connection, PureVPN is ideal for securely accessing blocked websites in Vietnam.
PureVPN is on top in the list of VPN Kodi & best VPN for fire tv stick. Learn more about this awesome VPN in our exclusive PureVPN review 2020.
2. Surfshark – Fastest VPN for Vietnam
Surfshark is another VPN service that offers complete online security and anonymity to Vietnamese users. Near the Vietnamese region, it has servers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. In total, Surfshark offer over 1,040+ servers in more than 60+ countries.
It has a total of 1 server in Vietnam. With this, you get a Vietnam IP address to access websites and app that specifically located in the country.
Not only that, Surfshark offers tons of awesome features that only premium VPN offer. For instance, this VPN is compatible with all major platforms and offer features like multiHop, powerful encryption, DNS leak protection and more.
Surfshark it the fastest VPN service of 2020. It costs $2.49/mo . Best of all, Surfshark offers limitless multi connections and comes with a full 30-day money-back guarantee.
All in all, Surfshark is perfect for evading the eyes of the Vietnamese government and bypassing blocked contents. Read more about the provider in our Surfshark review.
3. NordVPN – Highly Secure for Vietnam
NordVPN is one of the most powerful VPNs in the industry offering an excellent balance of speed, privacy, and performance. Based in Panama, you can deploy it to improve your online privacy in Vietnam and sidestep censorship on the web.
The 5,500+ strong network of servers consists of 15 of these located within Vietnam. However, it is the overseas servers that you will find yourself using mostly because these will enable you to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship within Vietnam and also access streaming services like BBC iPlayer and US Netflix with relevant servers.
It is also packed with features that boost your online security and privacy with AES-256 encryption, CyberSec, Onion over VPN, and DoubleVPN.
Considering this wide variety of features, NordVPN is reasonably priced at $3.71/mo . While it is not the cheapest, it is still competitively priced and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee with support for 6 simultaneous connections.
Users will certainly find NordVPN a treat to use in Vietnam.
You can also read our NordVPN review for more details.
4. ExpressVPN – Best for Streaming in Vietnam
ExpressVPN is super slick and super-fast VPN service offering amazing features that are just perfect for Vietnam.
Speaking of which, ExpressVPN offers 3,000+ servers, 24/7 customer support, kill switch, and powerful encryption to keep you safe on the internet. In Vietnam, it has 1 server available that will help your watch Vietnamese TV, Sports, and news channels.
Other features include DNS leak protection and no-logging policy. With super-fast speeds and 5 simultaneous connections, ExpressVPN is extremely effective when it comes to unblocking websites and streaming services from around the world. In fact, it is one of the best VPN for streaming video content you can find for Vietnam.
That being said, ExpressVPN is a bit expensive and costs $8.32 a month. But considering its features, it’s totally worth it. Although you can’t get ExpressVPN for free, but you make use of their excellent 30-day refund policy to try out their service.
5. CyberGhost – Best Vietnam Server Coverage
Last but not least, we have CyberGhost. This is a Romanian VPN service with over 5,600 servers all over the world. Speaking of servers, CyberGhost offers 19 exclusive VPN Vietnam server in Ho Chi Minh city.
By allowing users to change their IP address to Vietnam IP address or any other country, CyberGhost gives you easy access to a world of geo-restricted contents.
Not only that, CyberGhost’s Romanian jurisdiction is free from data retention laws which means none of your data is logged at all.
In terms of features and pricing, CyberGhost is compatible with all mainstream platforms and offers pretty much every possible security feature imaginable. Best of all, CyberGhost costs $2.75/mo and is covered by an extensive 45-day refund policy.
Since privacy is not easily attainable in Vietnam, CyberGhost is great for keeping your privacy secure.
6. Ivacy VPN – Best for Torrenting in Vietnam
Ivacy is a Singapore based online privacy service that works perfectly in Vietnam. Although it doesn’t offer any servers in Vietnam, but it does have servers in Singapore and Malaysia.
In total, Ivacy has 1,000 servers available in 100+ locations. It offers a whole range of features like internet kill switch, split tunneling, dedicated IP and obfuscated servers to help you bypass the Bamboo Firewall of Vietnam.
Since Vietnam is an extremely oppressive country, Ivacy’s obfuscation technology that can help you freely access the web without worrying about a thing.
NordVPN is pretty inexpensive and only costs $2.25/mo. For this price, you also get 5 simultaneous connections and 30-day money-back guarantee.
Overall, if you are going to be using a VPN in Vietnam, Ivacy is your choice.
Why Do You Need the Best VPN for Vietnam?
The Bamboo Firewall of Vietnam effectively filters social media platforms, news websites, and any blog or content piece that critiques the Vietnamese government.
There is no reason why citizens should put up with this excessive online policing, which is simply a violation of the right to free expression.
Moreover, if you are traveling outside of Vietnam, you will be unable to access some local sites an apps that are only meant for people within the country. For instance, online banking from your bank will be inaccessible during your visit to a foreign country.
However, with a VPN you can easily change IP to Vietnam (assuming it offers Vietnamese servers), allowing you to access foreign and Vietnamese TV website when you are on the go.
What is Decree 72?
Vietnam has been rubbing the restrictions and forceful censorships on the faces of its Netizens for a long time now. The Decree 72 law was introduced in September 2013 and states that the users shall not be allowed to post anything that questions the credibility of the Vietnamese government.
Just like the Middle-Eastern countries, Vietnam forbids its users from expressing their opinions on the internet through social media and personal blogs. But unlike the Middle-Eastern countries, Vietnam has a strict policy for global websites as well that target the Vietnamese people.
This is exactly why you should consider using a premium VPN in Vietnam.
Free VPN for Vietnam
I wish I could tell you that free VPN services work just as good as paid ones, but this is simply not true. This is quite obvious when you consider the fact that providers of free products can’t develop features and offer a service quality that paid ones have the ability to provide.
Premium services generate profit which free ones lack, and that directly impacts the overall quality of the VPN. Nonetheless, if you still want to use a free VPN for Vietnam, you can check out the following services:
But again, instead of opting “free VPN Vietnam”, it’s way better to use paid VPNs that only cost a few dollars a month.
How to Use a VPN in Vietnam?
Using a VPN in Vietnam is no different than any other country. In fact, the procedure for getting a VPN up and running is fairly simple.
You can either use your VPN app or directly configure top Vietnam VPN server address on devices that have built-in support for VPNs.
If you’re new to VPNs, you can follow the steps below:
- Purchase a PureVPN subscription/register
- Download and install the VPN client on your device
- Clear cookies from your web browsers
- Restart your device
- Launch this VPN Vietnam
- Connect to a server of your choice
- Enjoy complete access to the Internet!
How to Get a Vietnamese IP Address
If you want to watch Vietnamese content or what to stream shows on Netflix Vietnam from abroad, you’ll have to switch your IP address to appear as if you’re located in Vietnam.
Here’s how you can get yourself a Vietnamese IP address:
- First, subscribe to PureVPN
- Download the VPN app of your choice
- Log in with your credentials
- Connect to a Vietnamese server
- Check your new IP address and enjoy
Are VPNs Legal in Vietnam?
Yes, you can avail a VPN in Vietnam for all the right reasons. It means you can subscribe to a VPN service because owning a VPN is a legal activity. Thus, you can secure your crucial data from the vicious eyes of online snoopers and use public Wi-Fi stress-free. However, you should use a VPN service that offers stealth mode feature.
You can also opt for a VPN that offers internet kill switch and DNS leak protection benefit. By doing so, you can use a VPN in Vietnam anonymously.
Risks Associated with VPN use in Vietnam
The Vietnamese government performs surveillance of users and keeps close tabs on the online activities of users. Naturally, this raises concerns among people if it is safe to use a VPN in Vietnam.
From the legal point of view, there is nothing wrong with using a VPN. If anything, it will actually make you safer from the spying programs of the Vietnamese government and agencies.
Therefore, I would suggest the use of VPNs to stay safe from being a victim of censorship or prosecution from the government. At the same time, you should avoid free proxy Vietnam services, since these lack the encryption and security features necessary to achieve anonymity.
The real risk lies with using a VPN with a poor track record or a proxy Vietnam. As long as you are using reliable and trusted VPNs as described above, there is no need to worry.
FAQs
Yes, VPNs are completely legal in Vietnam but for only legal purposes. Using a VPN for illegal purposes such as hacking and accessing websites that have been banned by the government, is prohibited.
Subscribing to a VPN that has a Vietnam server will easily let you access Vietnam websites or those websites that are blocked outside of the country.
PureVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and CyberGhost has servers in Vietnam and in many other countries. Connecting to a Vietnami server will allow your stream Vietnam TV.
Final Thoughts
Vietnam has been progressing in the recent past under the communist government, but complete freedom of expression is still an unfulfilled dream. You cannot live peacefully if you dare to raise your voice against the suppression of freedom of expression in Vietnam.
To stay unaffected by Vietnamese laws, it is recommended to you to use the best VPN for Vietnam. A Vietnam IP address masks your true identity and allows you to securely access any blocked website of your choice.
You can get discounts as well with the help of our VPN deals guide, infact you can also check the list of lifetime VPNs for 2020.
Yeah there is major internet censorship within the country. The Vietnamese government actively prevents people from accessing websites which are critical of the government, and they also block websites for other political parties and human rights organisations.
I have been to Vietman using PureVPN and it was working fine for me no issue in browsing, streaming and torrenting.
Dear Patrick J. Burt,
Thanks for sending your valuable comment to us.
We are happy that you are availing PureVPN in Vietnam and watching your favorite media content.
keep using PureVPN and enjoy online anonymity hassle-free.
Cheers!!!