Under the decision of the Ministry of Information and Communications announced on November 22, all but four out of 63 Vietnamese cities and provinces are slated to have their area code for landline numbers changed by February 2017.
The ministry said the new area codes will be applied for 59 cities and provinces in three phases, from February 11 to June 17, with steps taken to ensure the change will not confuse the public.
In Vietnam, a landline phone number reads as follows: (country code) (area code) (phone number). The country code is +84 but it is not necessary to dial the area code to call within a city or province.
The ministry noted that the area code change is necessary as the current codes are inconsistent, with “some provinces having a three-digit area code while others have one- or two-digit codes.”
The full phone numbers therefore range from ten to 11 digits, which are confusing and hard to remember, going against international practice, according to the ministry.
So, the ministry has decided to make all area codes three-digit number, except for Hanoi and HCM City, to remove the confusion.
The ministry also said technical measures would be enacted along with the number changes to assist the public.
Namely, within 30 days from the area code change, people will still able to dial the old code if they happen to forget the new one. In the 30 subsequent days, the callers will hear an announcement of the new area code when they dial the old number. Finally, two months after the area code change, people will only be able to make a call if they dial the correct area code.
Most of the new codes will be three-digit ones, except for Hanoi and HCM City.
Of the 63 cities and provinces, four northern provinces are allowed to keep their area codes: Vinh Phuc (211), Phu Tho (210), Hoa Binh (218) and Ha Giang (219).
The ministry said the new area codes will be applied for 59 cities and provinces in three phases, from February 11 to June 17, with steps taken to ensure the change will not confuse the public.
Photo for illustration.
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The ministry noted that the area code change is necessary as the current codes are inconsistent, with “some provinces having a three-digit area code while others have one- or two-digit codes.”
The full phone numbers therefore range from ten to 11 digits, which are confusing and hard to remember, going against international practice, according to the ministry.
So, the ministry has decided to make all area codes three-digit number, except for Hanoi and HCM City, to remove the confusion.
The ministry also said technical measures would be enacted along with the number changes to assist the public.
Namely, within 30 days from the area code change, people will still able to dial the old code if they happen to forget the new one. In the 30 subsequent days, the callers will hear an announcement of the new area code when they dial the old number. Finally, two months after the area code change, people will only be able to make a call if they dial the correct area code.
Most of the new codes will be three-digit ones, except for Hanoi and HCM City.
Of the 63 cities and provinces, four northern provinces are allowed to keep their area codes: Vinh Phuc (211), Phu Tho (210), Hoa Binh (218) and Ha Giang (219).
