Is it better to travel as a tourist with US dollars or dong in vietnam ?

Question

i am travelling from australia. i'm not sure if i should change my australian dollars to dong in vietnam or buy U.S dollars in australia and then change to dong . can one travel only with dong or does a tourist need to have u.s dollars?

Answer 1

The US dollar is to volatile right now to put money into it.  Keep your Aus dollars and exchange them when you need to.  It is easier to function with the Dong in Vietnam and you usually get better prices when you pay with dong.  But... don't bring a lot of cash along.  There are ATM's available everywhere in Vietnam and its good security not to have too

much cash with you.  

You CAN travel with only dong.  but.. its a good idea to have both so you are covered.  

Check the graph's on the dollar right now.  It's going down down down so try not to get caught up in the plunge.

Answer 2

I think you can change AU$ without too much effort. Smaller towns though might prefer US$.

In expensive restaurants & shops, people will quote you in US$, but you may get a poorer rate if you don't pay in VND. Also, smaller places won't be able to handle anything but VND.

You should bring a bank card. I live in Ha Noi, and travel in VN. I get all of my VND from the local branches of ANZ and Citibank, drawn against my US accounts. I found I could not get money from AMTs in some smaller towns - the VN ATMs ask for a 5 number pin, and I only have a 4 digit pin.

If you decide to change money with the street money changers, be careful. Counterfeit bills and other scams are a very real possibility.

Answer 3

I suggest you to exchange Australian dollars to US dollars before you leave. Right now, the US dollar is loosing a lots of value. I did exchange Canadian dollar for Us Dollar.. 1 $ Ca was almost the same as 1 @ US. So, i will be in Viet Nam on the 19 of next month. I expected the US dollar will go up, so i would get better exchange rate when arrive there. And, don t exchange money at the airport or at hostel/hotel service; they do charge big commission. I suggest you to go directly to a trust bank then do the transactions. Also, don t bring too much cash. They do also have ATM machin, and the exchange rate is the right one. Also, i suggest to put OVER cash into your credit card. By that way, you could withdrawal safer than with the debit card. And never use your credit card to get any service or to buy any product. Always pay cash.

Answer 4

Hi, I was in Vietnam last year and I brought US dollars with me. However, while I was in Hanoi I went into a great Aussie expat place for drinks one of the nights and they only accepted Dong. Their reasoning was that the use of the dollar means that no one uses Dong anymore, and that tourists should be more responsible and use the currency more....obviously it's up to you, and it is bulky to carry (!) but i would try and use it for some transactions. :)

Answer 5

i would say change ur austrialian dollars into us dollars.wen i went i had both us dollars and dong.just change bout 100 us dollars each time.oh and just another thing.1 us dollar equals 16,000 dong.

Answer 6

USD ofcourse. VN's still not that into EURO cuz they afraid of counterfeit $$$..