Electronics

[cedwards001 18]

Hey guys,

My trip to VN is coming real soon

Quick question. I will take my Blackberry Tour with me to take pictures and use it for international calls to the US. I was wondering if I should buy a universal adapter plug for my phone charger or if I can just bring my USB cable and connect it from my phone to my fiance's laptop to charge it that way. Does anybody have any experience with this? Thanks much!

Carl

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Hey guys,

My trip to VN is coming real soon

Quick question. I will take my Blackberry Tour with me to take pictures and use it for international calls to the US. I was wondering if I should buy a universal adapter plug for my phone charger or if I can just bring my USB cable and connect it from my phone to my fiance's laptop to charge it that way. Does anybody have any experience with this? Thanks much!

Carl

First, check with your mobile phone service provider and make sure they have an agreement with a service provider in Vietnam. Many service providers in the US don't provide any service at all in Vietnam. The ones that do may not provide service in every province. What's more, per minute charges might be outrageously expensive. I found my Verizon phone could connect to the local network in HCM, but not in Hue (using a GSM capable phone). I could receive calls, but not place outgoing calls, and per minute charges were $1.99. I received one call just to confirm it worked, and then switched off the phone and never used it again.

I have a basic Motorola GSM phone that I use in Vietnam, with a Vinaphone SIM chip. It works everywhere in Vietnam, and per minute charges are a tiny fraction what Verizon would charge me to use my fancy data phone. I also have an international SIM, homed in the UK, that I use when I'm in transit (Taipei International Airport, etc.). You can get GSM/SIM phones from T-Mobile, and your fiancee can help you get a SIM for a VN service provider. Recharge cards can be purchased everywhere in the country.

Check the charger you've already got. Most of them will work at either 110V or 220V, either 50Hz or 60Hz. Vietnam is 220V, 50Hz, like most of Europe. They use round European style 2-pin plugs, but most AC outlets in Vietnam also have vertical slots, and will accept a US style AC plug, as long as it doesn't have the 3rd round ground pin on it. I've seen lots of people in Vietnam get laptops with universal power supplies, and a US style AC power cord. They just rip off the ground pin with a pair of pliers!

Just to be safe, I also carry an adapter that will adapt the US style slotted plug to the Vietnam/European style round pin plug. You can get the plug adapters at Radio Shack.

[cedwards001 18]

Thanks Jim! I really value your advise. I will do my best. I will see you all when I get back from VN. Take care everyone!!

Carl

First, check with your mobile phone service provider and make sure they have an agreement with a service provider in Vietnam. Many service providers in the US don't provide any service at all in Vietnam. The ones that do may not provide service in every province. What's more, per minute charges might be outrageously expensive. I found my Verizon phone could connect to the local network in HCM, but not in Hue (using a GSM capable phone). I could receive calls, but not place outgoing calls, and per minute charges were $1.99. I received one call just to confirm it worked, and then switched off the phone and never used it again.

I have a basic Motorola GSM phone that I use in Vietnam, with a Vinaphone SIM chip. It works everywhere in Vietnam, and per minute charges are a tiny fraction what Verizon would charge me to use my fancy data phone. I also have an international SIM, homed in the UK, that I use when I'm in transit (Taipei International Airport, etc.). You can get GSM/SIM phones from T-Mobile, and your fiancee can help you get a SIM for a VN service provider. Recharge cards can be purchased everywhere in the country.

Check the charger you've already got. Most of them will work at either 110V or 220V, either 50Hz or 60Hz. Vietnam is 220V, 50Hz, like most of Europe. They use round European style 2-pin plugs, but most AC outlets in Vietnam also have vertical slots, and will accept a US style AC plug, as long as it doesn't have the 3rd round ground pin on it. I've seen lots of people in Vietnam get laptops with universal power supplies, and a US style AC power cord. They just rip off the ground pin with a pair of pliers!

Just to be safe, I also carry an adapter that will adapt the US style slotted plug to the Vietnam/European style round pin plug. You can get the plug adapters at Radio Shack.

[fred n Dao Honey 0]

Suggestion to add to your trip.

Take a majic jack along. Just order online. You can use it to call home if you need to and you can leave it behind so your sweetie can call you anytime she wants with no worry about expense. The quality of the call depends on the speed of the connection. The only drawback is phone call records for proof of relationship. I never worried much about it because we emailed and chatted so much.

Have fun. Don't hold your camera out too far, other people like them too. The strap is made to go around your wrist for a reason.

[lindal24 1]

Suggestions/responses:

1. Phone - try to get it unlocked and use the pre-paid SIM over there. It's wayyyy cheaper than "testing" out (even if you don't use it) if your current carrier hss service. I'd recommend you turn off your phone and take your SIM card out when you take off from the US--I got charged roaming just for having it on when I landed in Singapore/Vietnam!! Luckily, ATT credited my account the 500 I was charged for roaming!!!

2. Bring a travel adapter + power converter because it's hard to find them over there...but you can also charge that phone using a laptop + USB as long as you have the software downloaded to the computer you're using to charge it witt; otherwise you plugging it into your computer will be worthless, unless you're trying to upload photos or download music to a memory card on your phone.

3. They sell MagicJack at Walmart for 10 bucks...no need to order it online when it's at the mass merchandisers--unless you don't like Walmart for whatever reason...

[Teacher Mark 53]

I've seen lots of people in Vietnam get laptops with universal power supplies, and a US style AC power cord. They just rip off the ground pin with a pair of pliers!

Count me in that number. I run the cord into a power adaptor. I figure, unwisely I'm sure, that since the adaptor has a fuse I should be OK.

This is like the one I use.

[vietazn 1]

What is the price per minute for Magic Jack for calls in Vietnam? Or is it monthly charge? And does the sender in Vietnam get billed? Also can Magic Jack call a regular landline, and can a regular landline call Magic Jack?

Edited January 29, 2010 by vietazn

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

What is the price per minute for Magic Jack for calls in Vietnam? Or is it monthly charge? And does the sender in Vietnam get billed? Also can Magic Jack call a regular landline, and can a regular landline call Magic Jack?

MagicJack is paid for annually. I think it's around $30 a year. After that all, all calls to anywhere in the US and Canada are free. You can call any landline or mobile phone in the US or Canada. If you want to call another country then there are international charges, and you'll have to purchase international minutes for that.

Once activated, the MagicJack will have a phone number with a US area code. You can pick the area code when you activate the service. If you want to get incoming calls, then pick an area code where most of your calls will be coming from so that the people who call you won't have to pay long distance charges.

MagicJack is "Voice Over Internet Protocol", or VOIP. The computer you plug your MagicJack into must have an internet connection. Since MagicJack has nodes in just about every area code, you can place calls to anywhere in the US or Canada, and your call will travel over the internet until it reaches a node in the destination area code. After that, it exits the node and travels over the local phone network, making it appear to be a local call to the phone service provider. Since your call never travels over the long distance phone lines, the local phone company doesn't charge anything. This is how they can get away with providing free calls to anywhere in the US in Canada. However, when people in the US or Canada call your MagicJack number their call will travel to the local node in the area code where your MagicJack is "homed", so they will have to pay any tolls for calling to that area code. Of course, they could get around this by also using a MagicJack, or using a mobile phone with unlimited nationwide calling (which works very much the same way).

[lindal24 1]

MagicJack is paid for annually. I think it's around $30 a year. After that all, all calls to anywhere in the US and Canada are free. You can call any landline or mobile phone in the US or Canada. If you want to call another country then there are international charges, and you'll have to purchase international minutes for that.

Once activated, the MagicJack will have a phone number with a US area code. You can pick the area code when you activate the service. If you want to get incoming calls, then pick an area code where most of your calls will be coming from so that the people who call you won't have to pay long distance charges.

MagicJack is "Voice Over Internet Protocol", or VOIP. The computer you plug your MagicJack into must have an internet connection. Since MagicJack has nodes in just about every area code, you can place calls to anywhere in the US or Canada, and your call will travel over the internet until it reaches a node in the destination area code. After that, it exits the node and travels over the local phone network, making it appear to be a local call to the phone service provider. Since your call never travels over the long distance phone lines, the local phone company doesn't charge anything. This is how they can get away with providing free calls to anywhere in the US in Canada. However, when people in the US or Canada call your MagicJack number their call will travel to the local node in the area code where your MagicJack is "homed", so they will have to pay any tolls for calling to that area code. Of course, they could get around this by also using a MagicJack, or using a mobile phone with unlimited nationwide calling (which works very much the same way).

Great answer!