Facebook was blocked in Vietnam in 2009. For anyone who's going, or for anyone who's already there, you're going to need to weigh your options if you want to unblock Facebook in Vietnam. It's pretty easy to get access to your Facebook account - here's what you need to think about.

Are you going to be using a smart phone or tablet? iPhone, iPad, and Android devices are can use a number of things to unblock Facebook in Vietnam. One is called a proxy. Proxies work by redirecting your browsing activity to another computer outside Vietnam, in order to change your IP address. This works to access blocked site anywhere, because it's mostly by your IP address that your ISP is able to block access to certain sites from your phone or computer.

Another option for mobile devices is called a VPN. This offers higher security that proxies because it uses more layers of disguise for your IP browsing activity. Eventually, most of Vietnam will be using this because the general trend is that proxies are getting blocked. It's clear that the reason for this is the lack of defense they have against Internet censorship bots.

However, many proxies are web based, meaning that you don't have to download anything on your computer. This means that you can use the proxy browser anywhere, on any computer. Mac, PC, and all your phones or TVs that connect to the Internet can use this type of IP changing browser to unblock Facebook in Vietnam.

One disadvantage of using a VPN is that many times you have to pay for multiple subscriptions (ie, using it on your iPhone and Mac or Android and PC). Price may be a killer for some. A VPN subscription will cost you about ten dollars a month. High security and reliability comes at a cost.

If you're using a mobile devices, you should opt for a PPTP or L2TP VPN. There are other options available, but in most cases, one of these two VPN protocols will be best for mobile devices to unblock Facebook in Vietnam.

If you're using Windows XP/Vista/7, Linux (all versions), or Mac OS/X, your best option to unblock Facebook in Vietnam is to change your IP address with what's called a SSL/OpenVPN. The advanced version of VPNs, this is the standard protocol for VPN users in China, where Internet censorship is much more strict than Vietnam. These operating systems are also able to connect to proxies, but I prefer VPNs because of convenience. VPNs, once connected to, can be left running in the background while you surf the Internet with your new IP address. Proxies however, require that you type URLs into a special browser window, and accidentally using the wrong browser can mean you've got to go back to the proxy site (or link) and restart your browsing session.

Whichever method you choose to unblock Facebook in Vietnam, if you're planning on watching video from Youtube, Hulu, or Netflix TRUST ME, a few extra dollars a month will pay off as far as connection speeds and reliability goes. It can be tempting to get a cheap VPN, but from my personal experience, I've learned that you get what you pay for. Video buffering is a pain already, and using a proxy or VPN to stream video can further slow down your signal if your using a server that's got all its bandwidth eaten up by other users.