What a trip to Vietnam costs and how not to get lost in dong

How to plan a budget when you carry millions of dong, where to withdraw cash and when a card or QR payment is better.

The Vietnamese dong is one of the currencies with the "longest" price tags: hundreds of thousands and millions for ordinary purchases. That makes it easy to be out by a factor of ten. The habit is simple: before paying, convert the amount into your own currency in our converter and check it against your expectation.

Budget by category

As elsewhere, split costs into accommodation, food, local transport and taxis, tours, connectivity and a reserve. Prices differ noticeably between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and islands such as Phu Quoc, so use real prices for your route. Add a margin for flights between cities: the distances are large.

Cash and ATMs

ATMs usually cap the amount per withdrawal and charge a fee for each withdrawal with a foreign card, so many small withdrawals are poor value. Find out your bank's limit and fee beforehand. Exchange cash at licensed exchange counters and jewellery shops with exchange signs, comparing two or three rates, rather than at the airport.

Cards and QR

Cards are accepted more and more in cities and tourist areas, and QR payment is very common but often needs a local banking app. For visitors it is easier to have a card plus a cash reserve. If a terminal offers to charge you "in your own currency", choose dong: the terminal's conversion is usually worse than your bank's rate.