I am in Vietnam right now and wanted to warn anyone who is visting soon to not change too much of their USD to VND. Currently, the official rate is ~16,500 VND for $1USD. However, when you try to change your VND back to USD before leaving the country, the rate is currently ~17,800 to 18,100 to get your $1 back!
Now I have been frantically trying to find a bank that will honor the official rate and I was told today that a foreigner can get back up to $500 USD at the official rate, but I have not had luck so far.
A lot of places are saying, sorry, we dont have USD to sell, or they type down the black market rate on their calculator despite what is listed. VERY frustrating, as this is not technically legal I believe.
So, if you go to Vietnam dont change your USD at an official place. If you know someone local maybe they can get you higher than 16,500 for your $1. Also, dont change more than you need to save the hassle.
Also, stay somewhere with prices in VND not in USD if possible. You can get more for your money if you plan right.
Lastly, if you are coming soon, I have several thousand in VND that I need to change before I leave in two weeks. I can offer 17,000 for your $1 USD.
Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions.
Travel to Vietnam might become cheaper even if the value of the VND continues to fall. At least one place in the world will still be affordable to us Americans!