Laos eSIM

Install the eSIM (scan the QR code or tap the one-tap install link in your confirmation email) any time before you fly. Once you land and your phone connects to Unitel, data activates automatically — no dialling codes, no in-store registration, no KYC app needed for this eSIM.

This eSIM runs on Unitel, one of the largest mobile networks in the country, with 4G coverage across Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and the 4,000 Islands in the south — the main route most travelers actually follow. Coverage thins out in the most remote mountain districts, as it does for every network in Laos, but along the standard tourist trail and in every provincial capital you should have a steady signal.

10GB covers a short 10-day trip comfortably (maps, messaging, social media, some video). Staying longer or streaming a lot? Step up to the 20GB/30-day or 30GB/30-day plan rather than running dry mid-trip.

Global eSIM providers typically start around $7-$20 for a few days of data-only coverage in Laos. Our local Unitel plans start at $6.90 for 10GB, on Laos’s own network at local rates.

Dial *122# from the eSIM line at any time and Unitel sends back your current data balance by USSD, the same way local Unitel customers check theirs — no app, login, or internet connection needed to run the check itself, which is useful if you’re already close to empty. This is Unitel’s own dial code, and it only works on this network; other Laos carriers and other countries’ networks each use their own different code, so don’t assume the same *122# works on a different eSIM or trip. If the code doesn’t return a balance, double-check the eSIM is set as the active data line the code is dialed from, since dialing it from your home SIM by mistake won’t reach Unitel.

No — this Laos plan is eSIM-only, so there’s no physical card to insert, lose, or swap at a shop counter. What you do need is a phone that’s both eSIM-capable and carrier-unlocked; most phones released since 2019 qualify, and your Settings app will offer an “Add eSIM” option if yours does. There’s no need to remove anything from your phone to use it: keep your regular home SIM in its slot exactly as it is, so you can still receive calls and texts on your usual number, and let the new Unitel eSIM handle data only. The two lines run side by side (Dual SIM) without interfering with each other, and you can remove the travel eSIM afterward whenever you like.

No — Lao regulation requires in-person identity registration at an operator customer service center before a line can be issued with a number, calls and SMS. That step can’t be done remotely, so any eSIM bought online, including this one, is data-only. A voice-capable Lao line is available in-country by visiting an operator’s customer service center with your ID. Keep your home SIM in the phone’s other slot if you need to stay reachable on your usual number, and note that SMS-based verification codes will not arrive on this line.

The whole purchase is online: pay on this site, receive the QR code by email within minutes, and install it before you travel. Nothing is done in Laos and you never visit a shop or counter. A local physical Lao SIM is different — that requires in-person identity registration at an operator customer service center.

Plans start at $6.90 for 10GB of 4G over 10 days, and rise with more data or a longer validity (for example 20GB/30 days or 30GB/30 days). There are no roaming fees because the eSIM runs on Laos’s own Unitel network. A regional Asia plan costs more but covers 30+ countries on one eSIM.

For a short trip, yes. The eSIM is data-only and pre-registered, so you skip the passport/KYC registration and the shop queue a local SIM needs, and it works the moment you land. A local physical SIM only wins if you specifically need a Lao phone number for calls and SMS — which requires in-person registration.

Yes. It uses Unitel’s 4G, which covers the main tourist route — Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Pakse and the 4,000 Islands in the south. The most remote mountain districts can be patchy, as they are on every Laos network, but in every provincial capital and along the standard trail you should have a steady signal.

This plan covers Laos only. If your trip continues into Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia, choose a regional Asia or Indochina plan instead — it covers Laos plus the neighbouring countries on a single eSIM, so you don’t buy a new plan at each border.