Airalo in Asia: I Tested My Go-To eSIM Across Three Countries
I’ve been using Airalo for years. I normally have an annual plan, which means I don’t have to think too hard about it. I land, the phone connects, and I get on with the trip.
I’ve also been spruiking it to family, friends and readers for some time. So on this trip I decided to be a bit more scientific and see how well it actually works.
As part of the exercise, I switched to an Asia-only eSIM to see if it really does work across borders. The trip covered three countries: Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Moving between them was seamless. We crossed into Cambodia by boat on the Mekong, and the phone picked up a Cambodian network and kept going.
The phone was a Google Pixel 10. I ran the same nPerf speed test at each stop, with Wi-Fi off, so the numbers below are the eSIM and nothing else.
Most Australians are, so I’ve included the iPhone steps throughout. Any iPhone from the XS and XR onwards supports eSIM. The speeds come from the local network, not the phone, so an iPhone on the same network should get similar results.
The surprise was where the fastest result came from. It wasn’t Changi. It was a street corner in Ho Chi Minh City, at 883 Mb/s.
My theory: Vietnam and Cambodia largely skipped the landline era and went straight to mobile. The coverage reflects it. Even on a river boat near the border, I had usable 4G.
In this post:
The results, stop by stop
| Where | Network | Download | Upload | Latency | Browsing score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Changi Airport, Singapore | M1 · 5G / 4G+ | 47 Mb/s | 18 Mb/s | 477 ms | 28% |
| Ho Chi Minh City (Ben Thanh) | Vinaphone · 5G | 883 Mb/s | 4 Mb/s | 56 ms | 75% |
| Mekong River, Dong Thap | Vinaphone · 4G+ | 54 Mb/s | 2 Mb/s | 65 ms | 80% |
| Just over the border, Cambodia | Cellcard (Mobitel) · 4G | 21 Mb/s | 6 Mb/s | 265 ms* | 46% |
nPerf full test, Google Pixel 10, Wi-Fi off. Singapore test server for all except *Cambodia, where the app picked a Thai server. One test per location, so treat these as snapshots, not averages. A second test at Changi landed in almost the same place.
→ What the numbers mean, in plain English
Download is how fast things come to your phone: web pages, maps, Netflix, photos people send you. A typical NBN 50 home plan gives you about 50 Mb/s. Around 5 Mb/s is enough for HD video. Anything over 20 Mb/s feels fast on a phone.
Upload is how fast things leave your phone: sending photos, posting to Facebook, your side of a video call. It’s almost always lower than download. 2 to 3 Mb/s is enough for a video call home.
Latency is the delay before anything starts happening, measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower is better. Under 100 ms feels instant. Over 300 ms you’ll notice a pause before a page starts loading, and video calls can lag.
Browsing score is nPerf’s rating of how quickly real websites loaded. It’s why Changi scored only 28% despite a decent download speed: the high latency made every page slow to start.
What the numbers mean in practice:
Ho Chi Minh City was absurdly fast on download. Upload was the weak spot at 4 Mb/s, which matters if you’re sending a lot of photos or video calling home.
The Mekong was the one I expected to struggle. It didn’t. 54 Mb/s and low latency on a boat in rural Dong Thap is better than I get in parts of regional NSW.
Changi had decent speed but high latency, which is why browsing scored only 28%. Pages take a beat to start loading. Downloads and streaming were fine once they started.
Cambodia was slower than Vietnam but perfectly usable for maps, messages and browsing, and it connected with no input from me at the border.
Asia plan or global plan?
My usual setup is an annual plan. On this trip I used both Airalo’s Asia regional plan and its global plan. The only type I didn’t try was an unlimited plan.
For a trip that stays in Asia, the regional plan is the obvious pick: one eSIM covers Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia, so there’s nothing to swap at the border. The global plan makes sense if your trip also includes Europe, the US or somewhere outside the Asia list.
→ Airalo plan types at a glance
| Plan type | Best for | From | New customer 15% off | Existing customer 10% off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local One country | A trip to one place, e.g. a week in Vietnam | AUD$6.00 | AUD$5.10 | AUD$5.40 |
| Asia regional ✓ I used this Multiple Asian countries on one eSIM | Multi-country trips like Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia | AUD$6.00 | AUD$5.10 | AUD$5.40 |
| Global ✓ I used this Countries across several continents | Trips that go beyond Asia, or frequent travellers | AUD$12.50 | AUD$10.63 | AUD$11.25 |
| Unlimited Selected countries and regions | Heavy users, or sharing a hotspot with others | AUD$35.00 | AUD$29.75 | AUD$31.50 |
“From” is Airalo’s standard price for the smallest plan. Prices change often, so check the Airalo app before you buy. I didn’t test the local or unlimited plans on this trip.
New to Airalo? Use code DREWDEALNEW for 15% off. That takes the Asia plan I used from AUD$6.00 to AUD$5.10. Get the new customer discount →
Already use Airalo? Code DREWDEAL gets you 10% off. Get the existing customer discount →
Not sure how much data to buy? The eSIM data calculator works it out from how you use your phone.
Hotspotting on a river cruise
The cruise had wifi, but it was patchy. My eSIM became the backup for Julie and me, and hotspotting worked well.
The catch is data. One person on an eSIM is predictable. Three people on one eSIM can burn through a plan quickly, because phones run background updates and photo backups the moment they see a connection.
If you’re sharing your eSIM, turn on Data Saver on every phone using the hotspot. On a Pixel it’s under Settings → Network & internet → Data Saver. On an iPhone it’s called Low Data Mode: Settings → Mobile → tap the Airalo line → Mobile Data Options → Data Mode → Low Data Mode. Either way, it stops apps eating data in the background.
The setting everyone forgets
You must turn on Data Roaming for the Airalo eSIM. It’s off by default, and without it the eSIM shows signal but nothing loads. This causes more frustration than anything else.
On a Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → tap the Airalo eSIM → turn on Roaming. On an iPhone: Settings → Mobile → tap the Airalo line → turn on Data Roaming. Leave roaming off on your Australian SIM so you don’t get charged by your home carrier, but keep that SIM switched on if you need it for bank SMS codes.
How to copy my setup
✓ Install the eSIM at home before you fly, while you have good wifi, but leave it switched off until you land.
✓ Pick the Asia regional plan if every country on your trip is in Asia, so one eSIM covers the whole trip.
✓ Turn on Data Roaming for the eSIM when you land, and turn it off for your Australian SIM.
✓ Turn on Data Saver on every phone if you’re hotspotting for others.
✕ Don’t delete the eSIM between countries. It will connect to the next local network by itself.
Going to Asia? Get the same eSIM.
New to Airalo: 15% off with code DREWDEALNEW. Already an Airalo user: 10% off with DREWDEAL.
New user · 15% off → Existing user · 10% off →(Small referral our way if you use our link — doesn’t change your price.)
Comparing options? See the best eSIM for Australians and my full Airalo review. Passing through Changi? Here’s the Changi lounge guide.
FAQ
Does Airalo work in Vietnam?
Yes. My eSIM connected to Vinaphone and hit 883 Mb/s on 5G in Ho Chi Minh City, and stayed on 4G+ along the Mekong in Dong Thap.
Does Airalo work in Cambodia?
Yes. It connected to Cellcard (shown as Mobitel) on 4G as soon as we crossed the border. Speeds were slower than Vietnam, around 21 Mb/s, but fine for maps, messaging and browsing.
Does Airalo keep working when you cross from Vietnam into Cambodia?
On a regional or global plan, yes. We crossed by boat on the Mekong and the phone switched from a Vietnamese to a Cambodian network on its own. Nothing to reinstall.
Do I need to turn on data roaming for an Airalo eSIM?
Yes, on the Airalo eSIM only. Without it you’ll see signal bars but no data. Keep roaming off on your Australian SIM to avoid charges from your home carrier.
Should I get the Airalo Asia plan or the global plan?
If every country on your trip is in Asia, the Asia regional plan. If you’re also going to Europe, the US or elsewhere, the global plan saves buying a second eSIM.
Can I hotspot from an Airalo eSIM?
Yes. It worked well as backup for patchy cruise wifi. Sharing with two or more people uses data fast, so turn on Data Saver on every connected phone.
What is a good eSIM speed for travelling?
Over 20 Mb/s download feels fast on a phone, 5 Mb/s handles HD video, and 2 to 3 Mb/s upload is enough for a video call home. Latency under 100 ms feels instant; over 300 ms you notice a pause.
Does Airalo work on an iPhone?
Yes. Any iPhone from the XS and XR onwards supports eSIM. Install through the Airalo app, then turn on Data Roaming for the Airalo line under Settings, Mobile.
Does Airalo work on a Google Pixel?
Yes. I used a Google Pixel 10 for the whole trip. Install the eSIM through the Airalo app or the QR code before you leave.
