Vietnam currency: what to know about the Vietnamese Dong

The Vietnamese dong is Vietnam currency and is represented by the symbol or abbreviation VND. The State Bank of Vietnam is the entity that is in charge of issuing the currency in Vietnam.

What is the currency of Vietnam?

The vietnam currency is the Vietnamese dong and you can find notes and coins, although the usual thing is to use the larger notes.

There are 500,000; 200,000; 100,000; 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; 200 and 100 dong notes, while the coins are limited to 200; 500; 1,000; 2,000 and 5,000 dong.

Is it a good option to exchange money in Vietnam?

When you go to Vietnam, you can exchange dong in banks, currency exchange offices, jewellery stores or gold stores. Another option is to change them in ATMs, but they will apply a commission of 3%, in addition to the one of your bank. Approximately 1€ equals 26,300 dong and $1 is 23,250 dong, although it fluctuates slightly each day.

The dong is not listed outside the country, so you can only exchange Vietnamese currency in Vietnam. You will encounter the same problem when you return: you will not be able to get rid of dong abroad, so you must change the dong before leaving Vietnam.

What credit cards work in Vietnam?

Bank cards such as Visa or MasterCard are accepted in major cities and tourist centres, but small establishments tend to reject them, so it will be more practical to manage with dong. In addition, the use of credit or debit cards can be accompanied by a commission close to 3%, one more reason to avoid using it.

Besides the dong, in the hotels and tourist establishments they will accept US dollars, but for small purchases, you should use dong.

How much things cost in Vietnam?

Vietnam is a cheap country, and we can also bargain to get a better price for anything. In cities in Vietnam like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh (the old Saigon), some prices have been set up for tourists, but even so, you can try to bargain.

You can sleep in a double room in the capital for 363,000 dong (less than €15 a night) and transportation is also cheap: a taxi ride will cost us 20,000 dong, which is just over €0.75 or $1.

In regards to food, you can find a 33 cl. bottle of water or a fizzy drink for about 7,000 and 12,000 dong respectively, which equal to 26 and 45 cents. In a restaurant, the main course will cost about 40,000 dong, so you can eat for about €2 or less than $3.

What is the exchange rate from Vietnamese Dong to USD?

The current exchange rate from the Vietnamese dong to USD is the following:

1 Vietnamese Dong = 0.000041936979 US Dollars

Remember to check up-to-date currency conversions before your trip to get the best currency exchange rate