Currency in Vietnam

If you’ve ever dreamed of being a millionaire, exchanging currency in Vietnam is one easy way to fulfill it. The Vietnamese Dong (VND) is the official currency of Vietnam. It comes in denominations of 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000 and 500,000.

It’s fairly easy to withdraw money, exchange money or even pay by card in hotels and restaurants in Vietnam. Go through our guide on currency in Vietnam, where we’ve sorted out every detail of this travel essential. 

The official currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong, which can easily be withdrawn and exchanged across the country.

Overview of currency in Vietnam

The Vietnam currency exchange rate to USD is VND 23,100 for $1, 25,400 for €1 (EUR), VND 15,700 for $1 (AUD) and VND 28,100 for £1 (GBP) at the time of writing. Check out www.xe.com for constantly updated rates, as the rate keeps fluctuating.

There are no coins in Vietnamese currency, but be careful with the notes as some have similar colours. Denominations of 100,000 (green) and 10,000 (yellow), 50,000 (light red) and 20,000 (red with dark font) as well as 20,000 (bright blue) and 500,000 (darker blue) can be easily confused.

You can read our detailed cost of travel in Vietnam blog here!

Keep small notes of the Vietnam currency for market visits & street food meals.

ATM access and card payments

ATMs are easily available across Vietnam; you’ll spot Vietcombank (green ATMs) pretty often. In addition, some international banks like HSBC and Citibank have ATMs too. Using this facility can make navigating currency in Vietnam much easier.

If you’re unsure about where the next ATM could be, search for the next 7/11 or other convenience stores. These often have ATMs out front or inside. You can withdraw a maximum of 2 to 4 million Dong each time, but it differs from big to small cities. However you can go right back again and withdraw more if required.

Vietnamese ATMs can only dispense Dong, and there is a withdrawal fee varying between VND 23,000 to 55,000 (USD 1 – 2.5) from the Vietnamese bank. Your home bank (the bank that issued your credit card) may also charge a fee, which usually includes a withdrawal fee and a foreign transaction fee. These are charged in addition to the withdrawal fee levied by the ATMs in Vietnam.

ATMs may sometimes give you the option of charging you in your home currency. Always say no, because the ATM will increase your exchange rate if your withdrawal is charged in your home currency. This is a definite exchange rate rip-off that you want to avoid at all costs.

ATMs can be found easily across Vietnam and cards are also accepted at most of the places.

Exchanging currency in Vietnam

Here’s where all our insider tips on currency in Vietnam will come in handy. For starters, we recommend avoiding currency exchange in Vietnam at airports due to bad rates. Instead, make use of exchange offices available all over the country: a great advantage while travelling in Vietnam. Luckily, Visa and MasterCard are accepted in major cities and several tourist centres.

However, in most places for the Vietnamese, cash is king. A point to note is that hotels and activity providers often charge a 3% fee on payment by credit card. In addition to Dong, the American dollar is also widely used and we recommend carrying some dollars as a back-up.

Payment by card is accepted in major cities. However, hotels may charge upto 3% fee on payment by credit card.

The cost of travel and food in Vietnam is varied and caters to people of every budget. Nonetheless, we recommend asking for your money in varied denominations. This makes paying bills in the interior areas easy, as people won’t easily accept large denominations here. Do not accept torn notes, and avoid carrying too much cash on you as there are several unfortunate incidents of pick-pocketing and minor theft. Hotels provide a safe or a lock for your personal belongings, which we recommend availing of. They are reasonably safe and prevent cases of theft by housekeeping staff.

If you follow all the advice mentioned in our article, navigating through the currency in Vietnam should be a breeze.Above all, ensure you have details like your Visa in place. Remind yourself of the several reasons to visit this gorgeous country if you find yourself in doubt. Looking for some help? Click on ‘Plan Your Trip’ to let us do the planning for you.