Hi All
Has anyone had any experience with USD in Vietnam, I need to have USD$5k cash in hand for a tour in April?
AUD/USD Currency rates are probably as good as they're going to get right now so I'm thinking pre-buying them now might be a smart move as the word seems to be that rates could drop 10%.
I've got an Australian ING account so I'm wondering if there is a way I could leverage their great offers.
Thanks in advance
first of all, what sort of tour is that??
Karaoke, massage and "hairdressers"…
And a kilo of coke ??
A kilo?? That'd be a bargain! ^_^
Please post this as a deal.
$5,000 cash? Are you sure you’re not being scammed? Do you need to carry it in a paperbag with non-sequential bills?
Seems super dodgy IMO. Especially considering how much $5,000 USD would be to a Vietnamese crim. They'd probably kill you for quarter of that, so every chance they would rob you. Don't do it
Not unusual for me.. We paid $2500 each usd cash for a 17 day tour in 2010.
What's wrong with just AUD? You can change into VN Dong (in VN) with barely any/no fees.
If you change AUD to USD, the buy-sell spread will apply no matter where you get it changed and you'll end up with less.
just take Dong….everything costs like 3cents so giving them USD is going to just be annoying for everyone.
what costs 3 cents in VN?
Even with 50 cents, you be hard pressed to find anything.
Probably an exaggeration with 3cents, but handing them a $5 USD note for your 20,000 dong street meal is going to make them be like wtf is this in some places.
I was getting Bah Mi for like 8000 dong, which is under 50c - so some things are available.
It will be fine, I have handed 500k for something that costs 20k haha.
I know, i was saying hard pressed, especially if you go to popular place. It is cheap but not dirt cheap.
Even with 50 cents, you be hard pressed to find anything.
You can get a Saigon Special beer with that!
Plenty of bia hoi for 50c!
Plenty of place selling pork roll for less than that. Ice coffee, bubble tea, etc. The possibilities are endless
Spoken like a true person who's never been there
And assumes eveyrthing in asia is 3c for everything
I have travelled to Vietnam and the only thing I paid for in USD was my Ha Long Bay cruise. Used AUD everywhere else. That must be some tour for that price. Our cruise was $300 for three days and was a more luxurious boat cruising through the less busier part of the bay.
I have travelled to Vietnam and the only thing I paid for in USD was my Ha Long Bay cruise
Surely they didn't insist you had to pay with a bag of USD casg though ?? Did they ??
Yes we did. It was the only thing we had to pay in USD. All spending money, hotels, taxi tours were card or AUD which we exchanged over there.
Was it Dragon's Pearl or one of the Indochina Junk boats? We went on that one and were really happy with it.
Yes it was we were glad we paid extra not to go on a bigger ship and in the part you can almost walk on water. Dinner in the cave was a highlight
This sounds fishier than nuoc nam.
*nước mắm
Mine was the Àussie, less salty version.
Ah… đúng rồi… :D
I can confirm that aussies and viets are just as fishy and salty! lol!
I need to have USD$5k cash in hand for a tour in April?
This raises an eyebrow or two. I'm hoping thats for multiple people!?
If you have an ING card and fulfilled the criteria for added benefits you should be able to withdraw at any atm free of charge. It's been a while since I've been to Vietnam, but I think you can chose between Dong and USD at some atm's. $5K is too much though, it's not hard to get around Vietnam by yourself. No need for organised tours.
I award 10 full points for this epic troll post.
Well done OP.
I found when changing AUD to VND over there I was getting VERY close to FX spot rates, which blew me away (given the regular 5-10% fx hit we take changing currency here). Best places to do that ended up being jewellery shops.
My last trip worked out at close to $1kAUD for a month excluding flights / insurance / shots. $5kUSD ($7kAUD+) - I'm not even sure I could spend it if I tried inside of 3 months.
A way to hedge your risk if it's a concern - open an fx trading account with someone cheap and reliable and do a $5k AUDUSD trade - undo the trade before you go. If it does drop you still have your $5kUSD regardless of the AUD value (minus holding fees and commission but over that time frame would be small). Downside is if the AUDUSD goes the other way you don't make anything either - but that's not your goal so might be worth considering.
Great stuff, yeah that what I need to know.
Yeah we're going on a 2 week group motorbike tour. The group has been going with this guy for years so all is legit.
Thanks all for comments and concerns
$USD5,000 for a tour in Vietnam seems way way way too much.
I did a three day tour of Vietnam in 2014 (including accommodation and buses) leaving Kompot (Cambodia) for $USD60.
$5k USD :O
You'll be a millionaire there!
This is the only tour in Vietnam that I can think of that comes anywhere close to needing $5k
The rights to visit Son Doong Cave have again been awarded by the Vietnamese Government to Oxalis Adventure Tours for 2019 and 2020 season. Oxalis are a locally based tour company in the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and selected due to their professionalism, safety, environmental and conservation efforts.
Oxalis does not operate the tour all year due to risk of flooding during the monsoon season, which starts in November and runs through till mid-January. Safety is a core value for Oxalis and no exceptions will be made to visit the cave during the rainy season.
There is currently availability in 2019. Booking must be made before arrival in Phong Nha to ensure your place on the limited departures available. Oxalis use a simple booking system calendar similar to when searching for a flight. Available dates will be displayed in your preferred week or month.
The price is USD 3000 which includes one night in Phong Nha before the trek (due to early departure the following morning), one night camping in Hang En Cave, two nights camping at different locations in Son Doong Cave, and one night accommodation in Chay Lap Farmstay due to potential late return on final day. It also includes the National Park Permit which is upwards of USD 700 per person, all meals, safety and camping equipment as per the inclusions listed on the tour page.
Yeah, thats probably the only one worth spending that much. Spending $7k over the 2 week on dusty and noisy road where you run the risks of being sandwiched between 2 containers going opposite direction or a local cutting ahead of you to make the random road stop is totally not worth it.
I only know very rude comments in Vietnamese from ex-vet. But from comments above, consider taking more like Usd$500 and Aud$500.
Appears there's not much help with your questions.
In an old Ozb forum, someone suggested going to the city centre (regarding Perth) and playing the fx exchange dealers against each other. You should get near spot hopefully.
In the longterm Aud/Usd will probably drop toward 50c, but short-term is anyones guess.
US$5,000 for a tour of vietnam.
first of all, what sort of tour is that??
US$5000 and in cash??