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How much money do I need for Vietnam?
Over at Travel Happy, Don Morgan has an exhaustive run-down of the costs of traveling around Vietnam. As someone who will be visiting the Southeast Asian country for the first time later this year, I'm pleased to see that Vietnam is even more affordable (read: cheap) than I had originally thought. One thing I'm not looking forward to, however, is the brain-busting exchange rate-- 16,000 Vietnamese dong to 1 US dollar. Oh no, not math!
Discussing cheap accomodations, Morgan writes, "If you're really want to save, look for signs that say 'Nha Tro' or 'Nha Phong,' which means 'boarding house.' Also, 'Co Thue Phong' means 'we rent rooms.'... You can get a concrete room with nothing but a bed and a separate bathroom for less than 2 USD a night."
Also be sure to check out the article for where to find ATMs, where to convert currency, and the cost of meals, booze, and cigarettes. And where else can you read a line like this: "Laos will dong you up if you're headed east. Don't change too much money at border crossings - the rates are horrible. But your first dong will probably spit out at you from an ATM anyway."
For more from Travel Happy on the costs of traveling in Southeast Asia, read "How Much Money Do I Need for Thailand?"
Filed under: Vietnam, Hotels and Accommodations, Budget Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wolf-1 Feb 26th 2008 4:14PM
Just how save is it in Vietnam,at night?
Eva Feb 26th 2008 10:56PM
To help out with the exchange rate math - when I was there (2004), a lot of places accepted US dollars. We were warned to come armed with lots and lots of American $1 and maybe a few $5 bills. Some places even had all their pricing in dollars. Kind of spoils a lot of dong jokes, but still, anything to avoid the math, right?
Will Feb 27th 2008 4:36AM
Well... just to clarify, "dong" (VND) in Vietnamese doesn't sound like what you think. It sounds a lot more like "dome".
As far as carrying dollar bills, it really depends on where you are. Just about all the touristy places (such as much of the Old Quarter of Hanoi) will take USD and as was said some of those places will only tell you the price in dollars. Not that it really matters, because things are so cheap anyway... but bargaining in dollars can have the effect of tricking you into overpaying. $30 for a nice painting or something might not sound like that much... but when you realize how many bowls of Pho you could have bought with that same amount of VND, you might reconsider.
Last warning: think again about bringing Traveler's Checks. Not every bank will even know what they are. I tried exchanging them for VND at one bank and they just looked really confused and said no. I tried to explain in my super-broken Vietnamese as I pointed, saying, "American Money! American Money!" but they just kept saying, "No". As was mentioned, you're better off just using an ATM.
Personally, I can't comment very much on how safe VN is at night. I lived in Hanoi for a month and had absolutely no problems. That said, I was never out later than midnight. People are out in the streets til 10 or 11pm in the summer just hanging out and the traffic doesn't stop until 2am or so. I never once felt unsafe. The people are extremely friendly and the worse I ever experienced was being told a higher price for items than they would offer to a fellow VNese... and even that was done with a smile.
I distinguish safety of person from safety of property. There are people everywhere of course who will try to take your stuff. A friend of mine had her wallet stolen out of her bag while we were at the crowded night market held every weekend in the old quarter. Another friend who had lived in VN for about a year had her bag snatched out of her bicycle's basket while riding. My point is, while there is crime like everywhere, these are not instances of violence.
Honestly, as far as safety goes, you have a lot more to fear about the traffic (if you're in a VNese city) than anything else.