Korean Air Skypass - Dollar to Dong Currency Exchange at Incheon?

I'll be passing through Incheon Airport on Oct. 29 en route from SEA to SGN.
Will only have two hours. Question: Will I have time to visit currency exchange, and if so, can I get Vietnamese Dong there? I would prefer taking care of the currency exchange before arriving in SGN. Any information/advice will be appreciated.^

I'll be passing through Incheon Airport on Oct. 29 en route from SEA to SGN.
Will only have two hours. Question: Will I have time to visit currency exchange, and if so, can I get Vietnamese Dong there? I would prefer taking care of the currency exchange before arriving in SGN. Any information/advice will be appreciated.^



Two hours is much more than enough time to visit a currency exchange desk. Spotting a currency exchange desk should be no problem.

To Mod: Please place this thread in Asia forum.

I'll be passing through Incheon Airport on Oct. 29 en route from SEA to SGN.
Will only have two hours. Question: Will I have time to visit currency exchange, and if so, can I get Vietnamese Dong there? I would prefer taking care of the currency exchange before arriving in SGN. Any information/advice will be appreciated.^
Since I first posted this item, I have found out that Vietnamese Dong may ONLY be obtained in Vietnam. It is not exchanged at any airport location outside of Vietnam. I hope this information is helpful to travelers other than myself.

By the way, anyone knows if the currency exchange at ICN gives good exchange rate for Korean Won? I will be stopping over in Seoul next month. thanks.

Exchange rate at ICN is bad. Just go to one of the major bank branch offices in downtown Seoul. By the way, anyone knows if the currency exchange at ICN gives good exchange rate for Korean Won? I will be stopping over in Seoul next month. thanks.

Since I first posted this item, I have found out that Vietnamese Dong may ONLY be obtained in Vietnam. It is not exchanged at any airport location outside of Vietnam. I hope this information is helpful to travelers other than myself.
Now now I am confused. Today I had some time to kill while awaiting my flight from SAN-SFO. So I strolled over to the currency exchange booth and asked the young lady behind the window if there was a way to exchange dollars for Vietnamese dong at the San Diego Airport. She said, "No problem, just give us two weeks." I said, "Are you absolutely sure of this?" She said, "No problem, I do it every once in awhile." So....can someone give me a definitive answer: Can I pick up Dong at the Seoul Airport currency exchange or anywhere outside Vietnam.????

Any reason why you would want VND before arriving in Vietnam? You can exchange USD to VND at Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN). But the best exchange rate is at the local jewerly stores (in Vietnam)...

Any reason why you would want VND before arriving in Vietnam? You can exchange USD to VND at Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN). But the best exchange rate is at the local jewerly stores (in Vietnam)...
I'm curious about the jewelry stores. Why would they offer such a good rate. As to my reason for wanting the currency prior to arrival, I just figured it would be one thing I wouldn't have to do at the airport when arriving at such a late hour. And I found a place today in San Diego that does exchange dollar for dong for a flat $7.95 fee as long as I buy $250 worth and I give them one day's notice. They will buy any unspent Dong back without charging a fee. Seems like a pretty good deal. Does anyone have any comments on this transaction? I would appreciate hearing from you if you do.

What would be the exchange rate that the place in SD giving you? The going rate at the jewelry stores in VN is ~1,830,000.00 VND per $100.00. USD is highly sought after in VN so the rich people will pay slightly more to keep USD instead of VND because it is more stable. It is also very hard to move large amount of VND when you have a business transaction, move money abroad, bank will not sell you money if you don't have contract, and I also believe the government won't allow transfer of VND outside Vietnam. All make it difficult for businesses, so the businesses, especially the small businesses will need USD, which the easiest place to get is from private jewelers...
If you are meeting up your friends, relatives, then just have them take you to the jewelry store to get the best rate and the experience, also be sure to bring as new notes as possible (but avoid brand spanking new ones). Slightly used almost as new $100 notes are the best for exchange. Brand new they afraid fakes, too beat up they will not accept it. Small notes will get less value in exchange rate.

What would be the exchange rate that the place in SD giving you? The going rate at the jewelry stores in VN is ~1,830,000.00 VND per $100.00. USD is highly sought after in VN so the rich people will pay slightly more to keep USD instead of VND because it is more stable. It is also very hard to move large amount of VND when you have a business transaction, move money abroad, bank will not sell you money if you don't have contract, and I also believe the government won't allow transfer of VND outside Vietnam. All make it difficult for businesses, so the businesses, especially the small businesses will need USD, which the easiest place to get is from private jewelers...
If you are meeting up your friends, relatives, then just have them take you to the jewelry store to get the best rate and the experience, also be sure to bring as new notes as possible (but avoid brand spanking new ones). Slightly used almost as new $100 notes are the best for exchange. Brand new they afraid fakes, too beat up they will not accept it. Small notes will get less value in exchange rate.
That answers my question in detail. Thank you very much. I believe I will receive 4,459,625 dong for $250. That sounds like quite a chunk of money to be carrying around. Should I hire security to escort me? No, just kidding, but I do think a pocket calculator will come in handy. Really, thank you for all the information. I hope it is helpful to others as well.

Exchange rate at ICN is bad. Just go to one of the major bank branch offices in downtown Seoul.

I had good luck obtaining won at ATMs in Seoul with my US-issued debit/ATM card.

I had good luck obtaining won at ATMs in Seoul with my US-issued debit/ATM card.
Well, I won't be needing any "won" as I am just passing through Incheon en route to HCMC.
I will be picking up the VN Dong tomorrow in La Jolla. For $250 plus a $7.50 flat fee I will reportedly receive 4,459,625 Dong. And this particular currency exchange (Forex I believe it is called) will buy back any leftover Dong on my return for no fee. So, on the face of it all, it seems like a reasonable and fair deal. If anyone has any cautionary information or advice, please let me know NOW!!! I would be interested in knowing what amount of Dong one should carry at any given time. Thank you.

Well, I won't be needing any "won" as I am just passing through Incheon en route to HCMC.
I will be picking up the VN Dong tomorrow in La Jolla. For $250 plus a $7.50 flat fee I will reportedly receive 4,459,625 Dong. And this particular currency exchange (Forex I believe it is called) will buy back any leftover Dong on my return for no fee. So, on the face of it all, it seems like a reasonable and fair deal. If anyone has any cautionary information or advice, please let me know NOW!!! I would be interested in knowing what amount of Dong one should carry at any given time. Thank you.
For anyone who is interested, I executed the Dollar to Dong exchange today in La Jolla. For $252.88 plus a $7.95 service charge (a total of $260.83), I received 3,750,000.00 Dong. Can anyone provide me feedback on the fairness of the exchange? It's actually quite a bit less Dong than I had expected. For me, it really was not worth schlepping around jewelry shops in HCMC to receive a better rate. On the other hand, I am curious about how much I could have saved by shopping around once I got there. I do hope this will be of use to other travelers to Vietnam.

For anyone who is interested, I executed the Dollar to Dong exchange today in La Jolla. For $252.88 plus a $7.95 service charge (a total of $260.83), I received 3,750,000.00 Dong. Can anyone provide me feedback on the fairness of the exchange? It's actually quite a bit less Dong than I had expected. For me, it really was not worth schlepping around jewelry shops in HCMC to receive a better rate. On the other hand, I am curious about how much I could have saved by shopping around once I got there. I do hope this will be of use to other travelers to Vietnam.

vu0219 already provided that answer. He stated "the going rate at the jewelry stores in VN is ~1,830,000.00 VND per $100.00. USD". So getting 3,750,000.00 Dong in Saigon would have cost you ~$205 USD. Therefore you were overcharged ~$55 USD on the exchange. The rate at the airport would be somewhat less but not allot less. Therefore figure you paid $30-$40 extra plus your time, for getting in your car and schlepping to La Jolla rather than taking an extra 2 minutes and exchanging at the airport or using an ATM on arrival.

As for why jewelery stores? There is a history in Viet Nam over the last 40 years or so of people with large amounts of money in banks suddenly loosing all their wealth overnight. Therefore many Vietnamese do not trust banks and put their faith in gold. That gold chain around some womans neck may well be the families savings account. Gold shops therefore often fill the role as banker in buying and selling gold and currency exchange falls right in with that business.

vu0219 already provided that answer. He stated "the going rate at the jewelry stores in VN is ~1,830,000.00 VND per $100.00. USD". So getting 3,750,000.00 Dong in Saigon would have cost you ~$205 USD. Therefore you were overcharged ~$55 USD on the exchange. The rate at the airport would be somewhat less but not allot less. Therefore figure you paid $30-$40 extra plus your time, for getting in your car and schlepping to La Jolla rather than taking an extra 2 minutes and exchanging at the airport or using an ATM on arrival.

As for why jewelery stores? There is a history in Viet Nam over the last 40 years or so of people with large amounts of money in banks suddenly loosing all their wealth overnight. Therefore many Vietnamese do not trust banks and put their faith in gold. That gold chain around some womans neck may well be the families savings account. Gold shops therefore often fill the role as banker in buying and selling gold and currency exchange falls right in with that business.
Thank you Mabuk of San Diego for the historical information on why Vietnamese use jewelry shops to exchange money - very interesting. I still don't feel I was "overcharged" in view of the American custom of money exchange. I'm wondering if this is true of other Asian countries or just Vietnam. I will have my ATM card with me in the event I need to do further money exchanging while traveling in Vietnam. I just had the passcode changed on Friday so that it contains four numbers rather than a collection of numbers and letters.

I still don't feel I was "overcharged" in view of the American custom of money exchange.

The American custom of money exchange is to rip you off. It's quite rare that a bank ATM in the destination country is not a significantly better deal, both in terms of convenience and exchange rate.