Vietnam Currency: Dong Notes, ATMs, Cards and Where to Exchange

The Vietnam currency is the đồng (VND, ₫), and the first thing it does to visitors is make them feel rich. One US dollar buys about 26,000 dong, so an iced coffee costs 25,000, a hotel night 800,000, and the ATM hands you millions. Money in Vietnam gets easy once the zeros stop looking scary. The real traps are smaller: ATM fees that change from bank to bank, a card surcharge nobody mentions until the bill, and two blue banknotes that look almost the same.

Vietnamese dong notes you’ll actually use

Ten banknotes are in circulation, from 500 to 500,000 dong. Day to day you’ll handle six of them. Everything from 10,000 upwards is polymer, which survives monsoon rain and the back pocket of your shorts. The 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000 notes are old-style paper and mostly appear as change at markets. Vietnam did issue coins, but you’ll rarely if ever be given one.

Menus and price tags often drop the last three zeros. “50k” or just “50” on a café board means 50,000 dong. If a price seems absurdly low, that’s usually why.

How much is the Vietnamese dong worth?

On 27 September 2026, Vietcombank was buying US dollar cash at 25,760 dong and selling at 26,170. The rate moves a little every day, but for mental maths, 100,000 dong is a bit under US$4 and a million dong is roughly $38. Knock off three zeros, divide by 26, and you’re close enough for a market stall.

Using an ATM in Vietnam

Finding an ATM in Vietnam is easy in any city or tourist town, including the arrivals halls at Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang. They thin out in mountain villages around Sapa or Ha Giang, so arrive there with cash.

Most banks charge a flat fee for foreign cards, and it differs from bank to bank. Reported fees run from nothing to well over 50,000 dong, and published figures don’t always match what the machine says, so trust the screen: the fee appears before you confirm. If it looks high, cancel and try the bank next door. Your own bank may add its foreign transaction fee on top.

Withdrawal limits are low by Western standards, often 2 to 5 million dong (about $75 to $190) per transaction, a bit more at some banks. If you need to pay a tour or a hotel deposit in cash, plan on two or three withdrawals. Some machines hand out the cash before returning the card, so wait for both.

Cards, QR codes and apps

Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, malls, supermarkets, chain cafés and most sit-down restaurants in Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Street food, markets, small guesthouses and anything in the countryside want cash. Many businesses add 2 to 3% for card payments. It’s common enough that we ask before paying a big bill by card.

The QR code taped to nearly every stall and counter is VietQR, the domestic bank-transfer system. Locals pay almost everything with it. Visitors usually can’t, unless their payment app is linked to it, and only some foreign wallets are. Check yours at home before you count on it.

Grab is the exception worth knowing: you can pay rides and food delivery with a foreign card in the app, which spares you a lot of hunting for change.

Where to exchange money in Vietnam

If you arrive with US dollars or euros, change them in town rather than at the airport, where rates are usually worse. Banks exchange at their posted rate and will ask for your passport. Some gold shops are licensed exchange agents and post their rates at the door, often close to the bank’s.

Be careful with the rest. Changing money at an unlicensed shop or with a street trader is an offence under Decree 88/2019/ND-CP, for the customer as well as the seller. Fines on customers are rare but have happened. We stick to banks and counters that display their licence.

Bring clean, uncreased notes. Torn, marked or very old US bills are often refused or bought at a discount, and $50 and $100 notes tend to get a slightly better rate than small ones. At the airport, change only what you need for the first ride, or simply use an ATM there.

Can you pay in US dollars in Vietnam?

In principle, no. Vietnam’s foreign-exchange rules require prices to be quoted and paid in dong, with a handful of licensed exceptions such as duty-free shops. Some hotels, tour agencies and dive centres still quote in dollars and accept them, but the exchange rate is theirs, not yours. Pay in dong and you know exactly what you paid.

One thing you do pay in dollars, by card, is the visa itself. Our Vietnam e-visa guide covers the fee and the official site.

Mistakes and scams with Vietnam money

Most money mistakes in Vietnam are honest ones. People hand over a 500,000 instead of a 20,000 because both are blue, or a 200,000 instead of a 10,000 because both are reddish in a dim bar. A few vendors and drivers make the same “mistake” on purpose: you pay with a 500,000, they show you a 20,000 and ask for the rest.

Say the amount out loud as you hand a note over, and keep big notes in a different pocket from the small ones you use for coffee and tips. If a driver claims you underpaid, stay calm and check your wallet before paying twice.

Bringing cash into Vietnam: the customs limit

Travellers carrying more than US$5,000 in cash (or the same value in another foreign currency), or more than 15,000,000 dong, must declare it to customs on arrival. The same thresholds apply when you leave. The rule comes from State Bank of Vietnam Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN.

For a two-week trip we’d carry a day or two of spending in dong, one card for hotels and one spare kept separately, and a few clean US$100 notes as an emergency reserve. That covers a lost card, a dead ATM or a remote island with no bank.

Now that the money is sorted, see tipping in Vietnam for who expects what, and the best time to visit Vietnam region by region. Heading on to the neighbours? Our guides to Thailand currency, money in Korea and money in Japan work the same way.

Every Vietnam guide we’ve published, from the e-visa to the dong, is sorted by topic in our Vietnam travel guide.

Data checked: 2026-09-28