tkdash421

I am not familiar yet with FT to realize that I am probably in a small minority... I am a budget traveler. You are probably correct or very close with your 50% for mid-high end hotels, restaurants, etc. The budget level has not changed too much. I guess we are both pretty close in our assessments, just talking about different quality levels.

Tod E Tosser

The great thing about those ANZ machines is that you can withdraw nearly 10 million dong in one transaction; most ATMs in the country limit you to 2 or 3 million. This is extremely convenient and can save you quite a bit in fees both from the ATM and your own bank. As a B of A customer who gets raped on non-U.S. transactions this was a huge find.

Tod E Tosser

It looks like they've devalued the dong by about 2% today.

Edit: A little research revealed 2% is the new official trading band. It appears that for the moment they will use this method to manage any devaluation.

happytravelling

My ATM card allows me to withdraw money from Cirrus(and other types) ATMs with no fees and gives me the official exchange rate. I began to depend on it more after a trip to Italy a 2 years ago, when they would not accept my $100 bills for exchange due to counterfeit concerns (yes these were the new bills).

Over the few years that I have been coming to Thailand, the exhange rate has gone from about 45 Baht/$ to last month a little over 30 Baht/$. I saw that it was almost 32 Baht/$ recently, but man, have things gotten expensive here as well (in BKK now). This doesn't even include the price increases. I also stay at relatively cheap hotels where the owners know me. The hotel I am staying at now is 800 baht/night - I travel too much to stay at Sheratons and would prefer to spend my money on more enjoyable interests.

I had thought about going to Vietnam, but a friend of mine that goes frequently tells me stories about guys with guns parading the streets (he is from Vietnam and goes upcountry) that make me too nervous to go there.
I have no idea whether this is true. Could someone comment on this? - this is one reason (okay the only reason) why I have not gone to Vietnam.

tkdash421

The only guns I have seen in Vietnam are held by the soldiers who guard some foreign embassy/compounds and the important government buildings of Vietnam. And they certainly are not threatening. I just read that weapons can be purchased on the China-Vietnam border, but most weapons are not legal for Vietnamese to own. In fact, I have heard only one or two stories in my months here about gun-related crime, and it certainly is not directed at tourists.

The only place I can even dream of you coming into contact with people openly displaying weapons would be in very remote, non-touristed areas such as border cities that westerners do not use. Vietnam wants and has a healthy climate for tourists and the government does not tolerate tourist targeted crime. In the past seven years, hundreds of non-armed "tourist police" have been added to the streets of HCMC. On the busy streets they put up a hand to slow down traffic and walk you across. Other than that, they are simply there to deter petty crime and provide a friendly presence. Look for the guys and girls dressed in green uniforms!

jimbo99

My comment is "baloney".... If he is "from Vietnam", but living in the US, perhaps, with respect, he has an axe to grind? I can't think why else he would make such a strange remark if goes there "frequently".

Some security forces in VN are armed, as they are in many other countries. I've never seen a gun drawn or heard one fired.

I think there are some risks to personal safety in VN... maybe worth another thread if you wish to follow up...

happytravelling

If there is a mistake, then it is mine with confusing countries he has told stories about. He lived in Vietnam when he was young and still tells stories of what is was like when we go out to dinner. One story I remember quite vividly was he was walking down a country road with a friend and a soldier yelled to halt. As he said, when a soldier yelled "halt", you halted. A couple on a bike maybe didn't hear the order, and were shot dead because they didn't stop. He was quite emotional when he told this because one of the couple was a relative. I have known him for over 20 years and he would not lie about something (this particular story) like this to me. He has encouraged me to go to Vietnam with him, so it's not like he doesn't want me to go.

Yes, this was many years ago, and he was quite young (the story about the couple), but he has gone quite frequently to Vietnam over the years recently (as well as Thailand and Laos) and he still loves his former country since he still has relatives there. Being a successful engineer now in the US, I am sure he is something of a success story in his hometown in Vietnam. Since he also travels quite a bit to Laos and it is possible he was talking about Laos when he tallked about people with guns. I'll have to ask him when I see him again (when I get back to the US).

mario33

I cant remember the exact figure, but it was quite substantial on the Citibank ATMs. And if you have a Citibank account; not only do they not charge any transaction fee, the exchange rate is also revealed to you on the spot and you have the option whether or not to proceed with the transaction.

mario33

I bet he was talking about the US

satprof

My experience in Vientiane a year or so ago doesn't go along with this. Laos isn't as tourist-ready as Hanoi, but I felt perfectly safe wandering about central Vientiane in the evenings. Of course, in poor areas, both rural & urban, westerners are inevitably going to be perceived as extremely wealthy & criminal types are likely to see them as rich pickings.

As mario33 implicitly points out, this also applies to the US (& Amsterdam & London & Rome ..... )

JMR

^ Does the no transact fee apply to US addressed cardholders? (If ya' know ...)

tkdash421

I agree!
But seriously, when he was a kid, it was probably during the Vietnam war. No one shoots each other on sight 3 decades later the same way we don't have to worry about Redcoats in Boston anymore.

SaigonCyclo

Citibank is 3 million per transactiona and HSBC is 4 million.

tkdash421

Quick update to anyone headed to Vietnam... the official rate is currently 16.600VND for what a bank will give you for $1. The black market rate is about 18,000VND for $1 USD. Exchanging VND back to USD is about 18,500 to get $1 on the black market.

By the way, the black market is just any establishment that is not a bank, what it goes for on the street in person to person dealings. Anyone that has any dealings with USD, such as shop keepers and hotel owners will probably know the rate.

Tod E Tosser

Actually recovered a bit from 19K last week. I think the main impact on tourists will be pressure to pay for many things in hard currencies. So don't go crazy converting your dollars or euros to dong.