Why cash still matters in Vietnam
Vietnam runs on cash outside the tourist core. A bowl of phở at a pavement stall, a xe om ride, a night-market T-shirt, a ferry ticket on an island — all expect notes. Even in cities, plenty of small businesses have a card reader but prefer not to use it, either because of the fee or because the connection drops.
Cards work reliably in: international hotels, supermarkets (WinMart, Co.opmart, Big C/GO!), convenience chains (Circle K, FamilyMart, GS25), shopping malls, chain coffee (Highlands, Phúc Long, Starbucks) and most mid-range and up restaurants in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City or Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi. If you are staying in a city and eating in tourist-facing places, you can go days without cash. Step one street off the main drag and that changes.
How much cash to carry
A working number for two people: 1,000,000–2,000,000 VND per day (roughly £30–£65 / $40–$80) covering street food, coffee, small entry fees, short Grab rides paid in cash and tips. Add more on market days, island days or when you are heading somewhere without reliable ATMs.
| Situation | Cash needed? |
|---|---|
| Street food, markets, small cafés | Yes — always |
| Taxis hailed on the street | Yes |
| Grab / Be / Xanh SM | No — card in app |
| Hotels, malls, supermarkets | No — card fine |
| Mid-range and up restaurants | Usually card, keep cash as backup |
| Ferries, some island services | Often cash only |
| Temples, small entry tickets | Yes |
| Convenience stores (Circle K etc.) | Card usually fine |
If you are moving between cities, keep a buffer of at least 3,000,000 VND on you. A missed bus, a change of plan or a cash-only homestay is easier to solve with notes in your pocket.
Where to get cash: ATMs vs exchange counters
ATMs are everywhere in cities and tourist towns. Most dispense 2,000,000–3,000,000 VND per withdrawal and charge a local fee of roughly 22,000–66,000 VND, plus whatever your home bank adds. Banks that consistently accept foreign cards include Vietcombank, Techcombank, BIDV, ACB and TPBank. Try a few if one rejects your card — it is usually the machine, not you.
Two practical rules:
- Decline the ATM's own conversion. If the screen offers to charge you in your home currency, say no. Let your bank do the conversion.
- Withdraw larger amounts, less often. One 3,000,000 VND withdrawal beats three 1,000,000 VND ones once fees are counted.
Exchange counters at airports and in the tourist centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are competitive for USD and EUR, and worth using if you arrive with clean, untorn notes. Gold-shop counters in HCMC's District 1 have historically offered good rates for USD, but treat that as a local practice, not a guarantee — check the rate on the day.
Cards: what works and what does not
Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere a card is accepted. American Express and JCB are patchier. UnionPay works at many ATMs and some larger merchants.
Contactless is widespread in cities; Apple Pay and Google Pay work where the terminal supports it. If your card is issued outside Vietnam, tell your bank you are travelling — a declined first transaction in a restaurant is a common and avoidable annoyance.
For day-to-day spending, a card with no foreign transaction fee is the cheapest option. Otherwise expect 1–3% on every swipe.
The phone side of paying
Most travellers pay for Grab, Be and Xanh SM rides inside the app, which means a working data connection matters more than a wallet full of notes. A Vietnam eSIM (Vietnam eSIM store) activates on landing and keeps the ride-hailing, maps and translation apps online without hunting for a SIM counter. If you are arriving at Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai, the airport SIM guides (Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai) cover what is open when, and whether an eSIM is the simpler choice. For a wider look at how the three networks compare, see Viettel, VinaPhone or MobiFone.
Safety and practicalities
- Split your cash. Keep a day's spending in a wallet and the rest in a money belt, hotel safe or zipped bag.
- Count your change. The 500,000 and 20,000 VND notes are both blue; the 500,000 and 100,000 are both greenish. Mixing them up is the most common tourist money mistake.
- Refuse torn notes. Vietnamese businesses often will not accept them; ask the ATM or bank to swap them.
- Small notes are gold. 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 VND notes make markets, taxis and tips much easier.
- Card skimming exists. Use ATMs inside bank branches or in busy, well-lit places, and cover the keypad.
For more on the notes themselves, see Vietnamese money: the notes, the zeros and the two blue ones.
A simple plan for the trip
- Arrive with 100–200 USD or EUR in clean notes as a buffer.
- Withdraw 2,000,000–3,000,000 VND from a bank ATM at the airport or in the city on day one.
- Pay hotels, malls and chain restaurants by card.
- Pay markets, street food, taxis and small shops in cash.
- Top up cash every few days rather than carrying a week's worth.
- Keep the ride-hailing app funded and the eSIM active so you can pay for transport without cash.