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No, Telegram doesn't work in Vietnam without a VPN: on May 21, 2025, the Telecommunications Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology ordered operators to block the messenger, and since June 2, 2025 the block has been in effect nationwide. As of October 2026 it hasn't been lifted. A Russian SIM card in roaming doesn't help either: its traffic goes through Russia, where Roskomnadzor has been restricting Telegram since February 2026.
At the same time, Telegram is still popular in Vietnam. According to VnExpress on January 3, 2026, on December 30, 2025 it was fifth in downloads in the Vietnamese App Store, and in Cloudflare's 2025 annual report it ranked fourth among the country's messengers.
The official reason: "anti-state" and criminal content and Telegram's refusal to comply with local rules. The block was initiated by the Ministry of Public Security, and the order was issued by the Telecommunications Department.
According to Radio Free Asia on May 23, 2025, police counted 9,600 Telegram channels and groups in Vietnam and classified 68% of them as "harmful and toxic". The violations named included fraud, drug trafficking and cases "allegedly linked to terrorism". The legal basis was Article 9 of the Law on Telecommunications and Decree 147 on internet services. Telegram responded that it was "surprised" and had responded to the authorities' requests on time.
The timeline according to Global Voices (24.06.2025): operators had to report on the block by June 2, 2025. Local journalists cited by TechRadar (28.05.2025) complained about access problems as early as May 25. By Surfshark's count, Vietnam became the 35th country to restrict Telegram.
The block is at the network level, not the store level. Telegram can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play, it launches, but it can't reach its servers: chats don't update, messages don't go out, and "Connecting…" hangs at the top.
Hence the confusion in reviews. Someone writes that "everything works", while the person in the next hotel room can't load a single channel. The difference is usually in how you connect, covered in the next section.
Most often because they already have a VPN on all the time, from back in Russia. The Vietnamese filter sees an encrypted connection, not Telegram.
The second scenario involves roaming, and it works against the tourist. On May 14, 2026, Meduza explained: almost all operators use the S8 Home Routing scheme, in which the mobile internet of a Russian SIM card first goes back to the home operator and only then reaches the internet. Vietnamese filters don't see such traffic, but Russian ones do. And in Russia, Roskomnadzor has been applying "gradual restrictions" to Telegram since February 10, 2026 (RBC, 10.02.2026). Why this happens we covered in Russian services not opening abroad.
| How you're connected | Telegram without a VPN | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel or café Wi-Fi in Vietnam | Doesn't work | Block by Vietnamese providers |
| Local SIM or tourist eSIM | Doesn't work | Same block at mobile operators |
| Russian SIM in roaming | Works poorly or doesn't work | Traffic goes through Russia, where Telegram is restricted |
| Any connection with a VPN on | Usually works | The filter can't see which service you're accessing |
Decree 147/2024/ND-CP took effect on December 25, 2024. It requires social media accounts to be verified with a phone number or an ID document; otherwise you can't post, comment or livestream.
Vietnamnet reported this on the day the decree took effect. Freedom House, in its Freedom on the Net 2025 report (13.11.2025), clarifies: identity is verified with official documents or local numbers. The decree also requires platforms to remove illegal content within 24 hours and bans registration for children under 16. Telegram's refusal to comply with these requirements was one of the grounds for the block.
For a two-week tourist this barely matters: the rules concern platforms and posts, not private chats. But if you live in Vietnam long-term and run social media accounts there, a Vietnamese number will come in handy.
Yes, WhatsApp works in Vietnam without a VPN. In Cloudflare's 2025 ranking it's the country's second messenger after the local Zalo, and on December 30, 2025, together with Viber, it topped App Store downloads (VnExpress, 03.01.2026).
| Service | Status in Vietnam, October 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | Blocked since June 2025 | RFA, 23.05.2025; Global Voices, 24.06.2025 |
| WhatsApp, Viber | Work | VnExpress, 03.01.2026 |
| Zalo | Works, the main local messenger (about 80 million users a month) | VnExpress, 03.01.2026 |
| Works, but the authorities demand removal of "anti-state" posts | RFA, 23.05.2025; The Vietnamese, 27.08.2026 | |
| Blocked by some providers | The Vietnamese, 23.09.2026 | |
| Sites of independent and foreign media, including RFA's Vietnamese service | Regularly blocked | RFA, 23.05.2025 |
Zalo is useful if you're talking with Vietnamese people: for them it's the main messenger. A selection of other messengers in case of blocks: 10 alternatives to WhatsApp and Telegram.
We found no direct ban on VPN use by private individuals. But since August 19, 2026, Decree 330/2026 has been in effect, and it punishes spreading ways to bypass blocks.
The Vietnamese, citing Luật Khoa (27.08.2026), writes: point p of clause 1 of Article 15 of the decree sets a fine of 10 to 20 million dong for individuals who "instruct or share ways to access" websites and apps restricted by law. For organizations the amount is twice as high. Until then, VPN use itself was considered a legal gap: in October 2025 Tuổi Trẻ wrote that Vietnamese law does not prohibit VPNs. The decree's entry into force on 19.08.2026 is confirmed by the government portal chinhphu.vn.
What this means in practice. Using a VPN on your own phone is one thing; posting advice in Vietnamese chats and social networks on how to open a blocked service is another: the latter now falls directly under the fine. Local laws apply to foreigners too, so the decision is yours.
When traveling, a VPN first of all protects your messages and passwords on open Wi-Fi in hotels, cafés and airports. BessyConnect runs on VLESS with Reality camouflage: traffic is encrypted and looks like ordinary HTTPS, so the connection holds steadily even on networks with strict filtering, including Russian ones. How it works is explained in Reality and VLESS in plain words. Decide whether to use a VPN in Vietnam taking into account the local rules described above.
There are more than 100 servers, no logs, no required registration, no device limit, and there's a trial period.
Install the app at home, before your flight. BessyConnect isn't in the Russian App Store, so on iPhone you need an Apple ID from another country. More about the messenger itself: VPN for Telegram.
What a VPN doesn't solve. It doesn't cancel Vietnamese rules, including Decree 330. It won't help if the internet itself is gone. It won't bring back Russian banks and marketplaces, which since April 2026 refuse users with a VPN on: according to vc.ru (21.04.2026), tourists in Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt and Thailand run into this. For them, the VPN is turned off or the app is added to exclusions, see split tunneling. And a VPN won't fix the problem with SMS codes: they're delivered by the mobile network, not the internet, as covered in SMS not arriving abroad.
Does Telegram work in Vietnam in 2026? Not without a VPN. The block was introduced in May–June 2025, and as of October 2026 it applies on Wi-Fi, local SIM cards and eSIMs.
Is Telegram available in the App Store in Vietnam? Yes, the app can be downloaded and updated. It's not the installation that's blocked but the connection to Telegram's servers.
Why doesn't Telegram work in roaming either? The mobile internet of a Russian SIM in roaming goes through the Russian operator, and in Russia Roskomnadzor has been restricting Telegram since February 2026. More in why WhatsApp and Telegram don't work in roaming.
Do I need a VPN in Vietnam if I only use WhatsApp? For WhatsApp, Viber, Zalo and Facebook, no, they work directly. A VPN is only needed for Telegram and certain blocked sites.
Can I be fined for a VPN in Vietnam? We found no fine for VPN use itself. But since August 19, 2026, under Decree 330/2026, there are fines of 10–20 million dong for teaching others to bypass blocks or sharing ways to do so.
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