Area Code 297 – Kien Giang province

Geographic Overview

The +84 297 area code is the National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the province of Kien Giang in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Geographically located in the Mekong Delta region, Kien Giang is bordered by Cambodia to the northwest, An Giang province to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The province is renowned for its coastal and island territories, including the UNESCO-listed Phu Quoc Island, which is administratively part of Kien Giang. The provincial capital is Rach Gia, a major economic and administrative hub, while other significant urban centers include Ha Tien and Phu Quoc City.

Dialing Format and Usage

Within Vietnam, calls to Kien Giang landlines are placed using the national trunk prefix 0 followed by the area code and the subscriber number. The current format is 0 297 X XX XX, where the subscriber number consists of seven digits. For international callers, the country code +84 is used in place of the trunk prefix, resulting in the format +84 297 X XX XX. For example, a landline number in Rach Gia might be dialed domestically as 0297 385 1234 and internationally as +84 297 385 1234.

Administrative and Regulatory Context

The 297 area code is a geographic code, meaning it is tied to a specific physical location and is primarily used for fixed-line services (PSTN). The allocation and management of numbering resources in Vietnam are overseen by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). As of the latest numbering plan updates, no overlay code has been introduced for Kien Giang, so the 297 code remains the sole geographic code for the province. Subscriber numbers within this code are seven digits long, and the total length of a domestic number (excluding trunk prefix) is ten digits, consistent with the national format.

Caller Instructions

• Local callers within Kien Giang must still dial the full national number, including the trunk prefix and area code, as per Vietnam's closed numbering plan.
• Domestic long-distance callers from other provinces should dial 0 297 followed by the subscriber number.
• International callers should dial +84 297 followed by the subscriber number, omitting the leading zero.

It is important to note that while mobile numbers in Vietnam are non-geographic and begin with different prefixes (e.g., 09x, 03x, 07x, 08x), the 297 code is exclusively for fixed-line services. Calls to Kien Giang landlines from mobile phones are charged at standard national rates, which may vary depending on the caller's service provider.