Serious question, how do you handle SIM card registration in countries that require a local address?

Just got to Vietnam and needed a local number for banking apps. Thought it would be a quick 30 minute stop at a mobile shop. The guy asked for my temporary rental contract and a copy of my passport, which I had. Then he said the police needed to physically check the address. I had to wait 3 days for some officer to swing by my Airbnb host's place to confirm I was actually staying there. Total time from trying to buy the SIM to having a working number was almost 4 days. Has anyone found a faster workaround for this, or is it just a waiting game in certain spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_wells461mo agoMost Upvoted

Had the same exact thing happen in Cambodia last year.

samw471mo ago

Wait, are you sure it was the same exact thing though? Because my experience there felt pretty unique, like the whole vibe of the place changes depending on where you go. I had a totally different take on how things work over there. Maybe we just saw two different sides of it.