Vietnam to change landline codes in Da Nang, Hue this weekend
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The country plans to change the telephone area codes in 59 cities and provinces, starting with 13 this Sunday. Vietnam will change the landline telephone area codes in Da Nang and 12 central and northern mountainous provinces from Sunday, the first step in a long-term plan to simplify the country’s telecommunications network.
The codes will start with a “2” and be either two or three digits long. Callers will be required to dial the new area code (plus the 7-digit number) to place a domestic call.
Also on the list are Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue, home to popular resort towns Hoi An and Hue.
Later phases finishing in August will change the codes in another 46 localities including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The codes in Vinh Phuc (211), Phu Tho (21), Hoa Binh (18) and Ha Giang (19) in northern Vietnam will remain the same.
Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan said that people’s existing phone numbers will remain the same and there won’t be any changes to calls between fixed line numbers within the same province.
However, the changes will affect calls between different provinces and incoming calls from mobile phones and foreign countries to a fixed line number in Vietnam, Tuan said. In these cases, callers will be required to use the new area codes.
“Later phases finishing in August will change the codes in another 46 localities including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.”
Vietnam constructed its first repository of phone numbers in 2006 after eliminating a monopoly in the telecommunications sector, but the area codes and network codes of the previous networks have been left unchanged to avoid confusion.
The ministry hopes that the area code change will solve inconsistencies in Vietnam’s area code system without having a big impact on Vietnam’s telecom traffic and users.
Reports on Vietnam’s telecoms sector show that inter-provincial calls and mobile and international calls to fixed landlines in Vietnam only account for 1.6 percent of the country’s total telecom traffic.
The ministry said the changes will be the first step in a long-term plan to reduce the number of area codes from 63 to only 10. Under the plan, adjacent provinces and cities will be grouped into regions with one area code. This should make the telecom network easier to manage, while people living in provinces with same area code will enjoy lower call rates.
Areas subject to telephone code changes from February 11:
| No. | Province/City | Old Area Code | New Area Code |
| 1 | Son La | 22 | 212 |
| 2 | Lai Chau | 231 | 213 |
| 3 | Lao Cai | 20 | 214 |
| 4 | Dien Bien | 230 | 215 |
| 5 | Yen Bai | 29 | 216 |
| 6 | Quang Binh | 52 | 232 |
| 7 | Quang Tri | 53 | 233 |
| 8 | Thua Thien-Hue | 54 | 234 |
| 9 | Quang Nam | 510 | 235 |
| 10 | Da Nang | 511 | 236 |
| 11 | Thanh Hoa | 37 | 237 |
| 12 | Nghe An | 38 | 238 |
| 13 | Ha Tinh | 39 | 239 |
Questions & Answers
Q.Which provinces will have their area codes changed in the very first phase this Sunday?
Which provinces will have their area codes changed in the very first phase this Sunday?
Da Nang and 12 central and northern mountainous provinces will have their landline area codes changed from this Sunday. This initial phase affects localities including Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue.
Q.What is the primary aim of consolidating Vietnam's area codes?
What is the primary aim of consolidating Vietnam's area codes?
The main goal is to reduce the total number of area codes from 63 to just 10, grouping adjacent provinces into regions with a single code. This will simplify the telecommunications network and may reduce call rates within these new regions.
Q.Will people's fixed line phone numbers within the same province be affected by these changes?
Will people's fixed line phone numbers within the same province be affected by these changes?
No, existing phone numbers will remain the same, and there will be no changes to calls between fixed line numbers within the same province. The Minister of Information and Communications confirmed this.
Q.How significant is the expected impact of these changes on Vietnam's overall telecommunication traffic?
How significant is the expected impact of these changes on Vietnam's overall telecommunication traffic?
The ministry expects the impact to be small, as inter-provincial calls and mobile or international calls to fixed landlines only constitute 1.6 percent of the country's total telecom traffic.
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