Area Code 216 – Yen Bai province

Overview of Area Code 216 (Yen Bai Province, Vietnam)

Area code 216 is the National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the landline telephone network of Yen Bai province, a mountainous administrative region in northwestern Vietnam. This code is part of the national numbering plan governed by the Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) under the Ministry of Information and Communications, in accordance with ITU-T E.164 recommendations. The geographic coverage includes Yen Bai city (the provincial capital) and all districts within the province, such as Nghia Lo, Luc Yen, Mu Cang Chai, Tram Tau, and Van Chan.

Dialing Formats

When calling a fixed-line subscriber in Yen Bai from within Vietnam, the domestic trunk prefix 0 is used before the area code, followed by the subscriber's 7-digit local number. The complete domestic format is: 0-216-XXX-XXXX. For example, a local number might be dialed as 0216 385 1234.

For international callers, the country code for Vietnam is +84, and the leading trunk prefix '0' is omitted. The international dialing format becomes: +84-216-XXX-XXXX. Thus, the same number would be dialed as +84 216 385 1234 from abroad.

Geographic Significance and Numbering

Yen Bai province is known for its scenic highlands, terraced rice fields, and ethnic minority communities. The area code 216 is specifically allocated to PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) services, including fixed-line telephony and some VoIP services that use geographic numbering. Subscriber numbers in Yen Bai are 7 digits long, making the total length of a national significant number (NSN) 10 digits (including the area code) when dialed domestically without the trunk prefix.

As with all Vietnamese geographic area codes, the 216 prefix is not portable to other provinces; it is tied to the physical location of the line. However, number portability within the same geographic area is possible between fixed-line operators. Since the early 2000s, Vietnam has not introduced overlay codes for this region, so the 216 code remains the sole area code for Yen Bai.

Caller Instructions

Local callers within Yen Bai can often dial the 7-digit subscriber number directly without the area code, depending on the operator's local dialing rules. However, to ensure connectivity across all networks, it is recommended to dial the full 10-digit format (including the trunk prefix) even for local calls.

International callers must replace the trunk prefix '0' with the Vietnamese country code '+84'. For example, to call a Yen Bai number from the United States, one would dial: 011 (US exit code) + 84 + 216 + 7-digit number. From most European countries, the exit code is '00', so the sequence would be 00 84 216 XXX XXXX.

For travelers within Vietnam, using a local SIM card and dialing the domestic format is straightforward. For those using VoIP services, ensure that the call is routed as a geographic call to avoid additional charges.