Cash, cards and ATMs: paying for things in Vietnam

The currency is the dong. Prices are written like 250.000 đ, with a dot for thousands. Where cards work Hotels, malls, chain cafés, supermarkets and most sit-down restaurants in the big cities take cards. Markets, street food, small shops, buses, motorbike parking and almost everything rural are cash. QR payment is on every counter, but it normally needs a Vietnamese bank account, so it is not an option on a short visit. ATMs • Use machines attached to a bank branch, in daylight, and take the receipt. • Each bank sets its own limit per withdrawal and charges a fee per withdrawal, and your home bank may add another. Fewer, larger withdrawals cost less. • If the screen offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and choose dong. That conversion is always worse. • Tell your bank you are travelling, or the first attempt may be blocked. Handling notes • The 20.000 and the 500.000 notes are both blue-ish polymer. Count the zeros every time, especially at night. • Break big notes at supermarkets and convenience stores, not at a street stall. • Keep a small emergency amount separate from your wallet. • Count your change before you walk away. It is normal here, not rude.