The tensions keep rising in Hong Kong and have reached peak point with all the riots and protests happening. Just recently, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam revealed that a new anti-mask law will be taking effect at Midnight 12:01, October the 5th (Saturday). This new ban will take place because many of the protesters are wearing respirators as well as gas masks, mostly to protect themselves from tear gas. The other reason is to protect their identities, being fearful that they will experience retaliation and prosecution, if their faces are revealed. Many said that they will be going online, as it’s the only place they can hide.

Update: On 21st of May, Beijing unveiled a plan to tighten its control on Hong Kong. It will ban all activities that go up against authorities, especially the government. China’s lawmakers will curb rebels,terrorism and other acts that might interfere with Hong Kong’s affairs.

Why you need a VPN in Hong Kong

With many protesters taking a stand online, it is extremely important to protect yourselves from the government and also have access to social media and news sites in case the government decides to block these and invoke a “blackout” or “shutdown”. I looked into many researches I found online, scouting local forums, websites, review sites and more to see which companies are not controlled by the Chinese government as well as those that have dedicated departments when it comes to bypassing VPN blocks in restricted countries or regions.

Best VPNs for Hong Kong

While there are dozens of VPN providers that offer their services quite cheaply, only a handful of them really do work in countries with restricted Internet access, countries such as China, UAE and similar. Not to mention these VPN services have proved that they always find a way to unblock restricted markets, even if the government does try to shut down VPNs themselves.

I found online that these two have also shared special discounts for those in Hong Kong, who need an emergency, so you can grab a cheap VPN while you’re at it:

NordVPN. THE BEST CHOICE THAT YOU CAN GET. It is based in Panama and has no connections to China, not to mention it is secure, reliable and fast. Their support has recently confirmed that they are investing a lot in additional servers in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan to ensure Hong Kong citizens have a good and stable connection.

I’ve found a good deal on the Internet, which gives 1 month for free. Price is only $3.71 per month. Click here to get it: https://nordvpn.org/hkvpn.

If the link doesn’t work for some reason — you can always try going to NordVPN’s website directly and using this coupon code at the checkout “HKVPN”.

Perfect Privacy. It’s a good VPN service provider but it is pricey. And as it’s not a big provider, there’s a risk it might not handle huge server loads and the amount of traffic well. Other than that, the reputation of this VPN is good.

Surfshark. Offers a 2-year +3 month free. This is also a great deal and if the link does not work, go to Surfshark’s website and use this coupon code “FREEHK”.

Which VPNs to avoid

Free VPN in Hong Kong is no go, avoid them at all cost, as recently it was proven that most of the free VPNs are either based in China or linked to Chinese companies, which are most probably controlled by the Chinese government.

Avoid these as best as you can:

X-VPN

Secure VPN

FREE VPN

Turbo VPN

Betternet Hotspot VPN

VPN Proxy Master

Thunder VPN

SuperVPN

JustVPN

VPN 360

Conclusion

VPN in Hong Kong is now needed more than ever, especially with the anti-mask law taking place on short notice and the protesters going online. You’ll need a trusted VPN to stay anonymous and secure online to avoid any possible data or IP address leaks as well as staying up to date.