Money in Vietnam: dong notes, cards, ATMs, QR payments and tipping

Dong notes: what you will actually handle

The currency is the Vietnamese đồng (VND, written ₫). The official tourism board lists notes from 200₫ up to 500,000₫, and its payments guide describes a mix of small paper notes and larger polymer ones, with no coins in use. In daily life you will mostly handle 10,000₫, 20,000₫, 50,000₫, 100,000₫, 200,000₫ and 500,000₫ notes.

The tourism board's own trick for the zeros is to drop the last three: 50,000₫ becomes "50". Do the conversion to your home currency once, at the start of the trip, with your card provider's current rate, then think in thousands of dong rather than converting every coffee.

The notes most often confused are 20,000₫ and 500,000₫, which the tourism board warns come in similar shades of blue. Check the number before you hand over a blue note, especially at night or in a hurry, and keep 500,000₫ notes in a separate compartment from your small change. Large notes can also be hard to break at a street stall, so break them at a supermarket, hotel or restaurant with a card terminal and keep a stock of 10,000₫ to 50,000₫ notes for the day.

Cash, cards or QR: what works where

The tourism board's payments guide describes the split clearly: cash for small purchases and street vendors, cards for most established businesses. Hotels, tour operators, boutiques, restaurants, grocery stores and spas generally take international debit and credit cards, and many larger costs can be paid by card in advance online. It also notes that many businesses and taxi services accept contactless card payments. Your card provider sets the exchange rate and any fees, so check them before you leave and pick the card that charges least abroad.

QR codes run on VietQR, the national standard operated by NAPAS, Vietnam's payment network; State Bank of Vietnam figures quoted by NAPAS say card and QR acceptance now reaches most localities. A VietQR code is normally paid from a Vietnamese bank account, but NAPAS also runs a cross-border service, VietQRGlobal: according to its announcements, when we checked on 2026-10-03, visitors could pay with participating home apps from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China (via UnionPay, Alipay and, since August 2026, Weixin Pay), South Korea (for Korean visitors paying in Vietnam) and, since July 2026, Singapore. If your app is from one of those countries, ask your provider whether it is a participating app before you rely on it. If not, treat a QR-only counter as a cash counter.

Ride-hailing apps such as Grab need a local SIM card, according to the tourism board, and the UK government's travel advice recommends booking the whole journey in an official app such as Grab or XanhSM. With a metered taxi, the tourism board advises sticking with reputable companies such as Vinasun and Mai Linh and always asking for the meter.

• Usually by card: hotels, tours and cruises booked through an operator, spas, supermarkets, department stores and most sit-down restaurants in the cities.
• Usually cash: street food, market stalls, small cafés, local buses, tips and purchases from artisans in villages.
• QR: convenient only if your home app is part of the VietQRGlobal network; otherwise pay the same counter in cash.

ATMs and exchanging money

For most travellers, the tourism board recommends ATMs over exchange counters. Its payments guide says ATMs that accept international cards stand just outside the arrival gates at all major airports, and that Visa cards work at more than 20,000 ATMs nationwide. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the same guide gave per-withdrawal limits of 2 to 3 million dong at local bank ATMs and 5 to 10 million dong at international bank ATMs. Check what your own bank charges per foreign withdrawal before you travel; if it charges a fixed fee, a few larger withdrawals cost less than many small ones.

Exchange counters are at the international airports, banks and official exchange centres, and hotels in tourist areas often exchange too. The UK government's advice is blunt: only change money at official exchange counters with a clear sign showing that status, because changing money elsewhere is illegal and you risk losing your money. The tourism board also warns that buying US dollars once you are in Vietnam can be very difficult, so do not plan to change dong back into dollars at the end.

Banks themselves keep office hours. The tourism board lists most banks as opening from 7:30 or 8am to 4:30pm with a lunch break, and some on Saturday mornings, so do counter business (exchanging a lot of cash or sorting out a card problem) on a weekday morning.

Tipping and bargaining

The tourism board says there is no set rule about tipping, because it is not a normal part of Vietnamese culture. It is increasingly common in some situations, such as beauty salons, spas and with private tour guides, while in restaurants and cafés it is not expected but appreciated. Its etiquette guide adds that you are under no obligation to tip at all.

To size a tip, the tourism board suggests keeping local prices in mind: when we checked on 2026-10-03, it put the cost of a local meal at about 30,000 to 40,000 dong. Use that as your yardstick rather than a percentage from home, and give more to someone who has looked after you for a whole day, such as a private guide. Hand it over in cash, directly to the person, and keep small notes aside for it.

Bargaining is normal in markets and casual shopping streets, and the tourism board says you can usually get a lower price in tourist areas with gentle negotiation. Ask at a few stalls first to get a feel for the price, settle the amount before the item is wrapped, and pay with notes close to the agreed sum. Fixed-price shops, supermarkets and restaurants with printed menus are not places to haggle.

Arriving and leaving: airport cash, customs and VAT refunds

Get some dong at the airport for the first taxi, a SIM card and dinner. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi listed currency exchange counters (BIDV, Maritime Bank, Vietinbank and Techcombank) and ATMs (Vietinbank, Techcombank and Agribank) in its international terminal, T2.

Cash limits: the UK government's advice and Noi Bai airport both state that cash above 15 million dong or 5,000 US dollars (or the equivalent in other currencies) must be declared at customs. The UK advice adds that if you leave with more than these amounts, you must show either a confirmation for carrying cash abroad from an authorised credit institution or written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam. Most travellers never get close; it matters if you arrive with a large sum in cash for a long trip.

VAT refunds: foreign visitors can reclaim VAT on goods bought at shops that operate the refund scheme and carried out on the plane. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Noi Bai's page set a minimum of 2,000,000 dong on the invoice from one shop in one day, required the invoice with a refund declaration form issued by the shop on presentation of your passport, and told passengers to have the goods, forms and passport inspected and stamped by customs before check-in. The refund counter deducts a service fee of up to 15% and pays in dong. Ask for the form at the till: the airport page warns that any missing document means the refund is refused.

Keeping money safe, and planning around remote areas and Tet

The tourism board calls Vietnam generally very safe but recommends using the room safe for cash, cards and valuables, keeping wallets close and taking extra care in crowds. Split your money: a day's cash and one card on you, a second card and the larger notes in the safe. Cards with extra online security such as 3D Secure, which the tourism board mentions, protect online bookings.

Outside the cities, plan ahead. The tourism board advises withdrawing extra cash before travelling to remote destinations, especially if you want to buy crafts or textiles directly from artisans; that applies to mountain loops such as Ha Giang, village homestays and island stays. Count the days you will be away from a town with a bank and take enough for meals, transport and purchases.

Tet, the Lunar New Year in late January or early February, is the one period when cash planning really matters. The tourism board warns that most businesses and restaurants shut down during the holiday and transport hubs are overflowing in the days before. Withdraw what you need for the holiday days in advance, and expect fewer stalls and shops to be open while it lasts.