Money in Vietnam

Count the Zeros — Look-Alike Notes Are the Real Risk

Vietnam's banknotes run from 1,000 up to 500,000 dong, and the practical hazard is not the size of the numbers but the pairs that look alike: 20,000 against 200,000, and 50,000 against 500,000 — similar colours separated by a single zero. Almost every visitor who loses money here loses it to an honest miscount rather than a scam. Three habits remove nearly all of that risk: sort notes by denomination as you receive them and keep the large ones in a separate part of your wallet; count what the ATM gives you before you walk away; and never let yourself be hurried when paying or taking change. Vendors and drivers are used to travellers counting carefully and will wait. Check the zeros first, the colour second — the order matters.

ATMs Are Everywhere, but Single-Withdrawal Limits Are Low

ATMs are plentiful across Vietnamese cities and tourist towns — Vietcombank, Techcombank, BIDV and VPBank machines are all common — and withdrawing dong on arrival is the most practical way to get local currency. Two things catch visitors out. First, the maximum per transaction is typically lower than travellers expect, so a trip may need several withdrawals rather than one large one; the machine displays its own ceiling before you confirm. Second, most local banks add a fee per withdrawal on top of whatever your home bank charges for international use — check the on-screen notice and your card's terms rather than assuming. Always choose to be charged in Vietnamese dong: accepting the machine's offer to convert to your home currency (dynamic currency conversion) is reliably the worse rate. Carry a backup card, since individual machines being out of service or refusing a given card is common enough to plan around.

Cash Dominates — Cards Work in Cities and Hotels Only

Visa and Mastercard are accepted at international hotels, major chain restaurants, and upmarket shops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where contactless payment also generally works. Step outside that bracket and the picture changes completely: rural areas, smaller towns, street food vendors, local markets, inter-city buses and most guesthouses take cash only. The gap that surprises people most is mobile payment — MoMo and ZaloPay QR codes are genuinely ubiquitous among Vietnamese consumers, but both require a Vietnamese bank account and phone number, so they are closed to foreign visitors no matter how digital your everyday life is at home. Treat cash as the primary payment method here and cards as the exception, rather than the other way round.

Tipping Is Not Traditional but Is Appreciated

Tipping is not part of Vietnamese culture and is not expected between locals, so there is no percentage convention to calculate. In tourist areas, though, a tip from foreign visitors has become an increasingly normal part of the exchange: rounding the bill up after good restaurant service, something for a guide or driver at the end of a full-day trip, a small note for spa staff or hotel porters. There is no fixed amount — judge it against local prices and the service you actually received. The principle worth carrying is simply that tipping is always voluntary and withholding it is never rude; but measured against local wage levels, the gesture carries more weight than the sum involved.