Just a heads up. Since Citibank sold, we can not open New Citibank Plus account but for existing customers the debit card will work as usual in Vietnam, it is now branded as UOB. There are atm at airport and Sinwah Building 115 Nguyen Hue Street HCMC (SGN). These have max 8M per withdrawal no ATM vendors fees so you can withdraw multiple times without any issues.
Last tested 03/07/2023
Thanks
OP. You might want to update the WP wiki with your ATM experience with Citiplus account.
It’s a useful resource for travellers needing ATM access
Guys,
Don’t bother with ATMs in Vietnam.
Bring AUD and go to a jeweler where they give the best xe rates. Plenty of them in Hanoi and HCMC.
Trust me on this one.
That was the case before Covid 19. As of Jan 2023, the rate was horrible compare to that of the bank. Just walk in the bank with your cash and ask for exchange.
Meh, have you been in the moon in the last ten years? Those jeweller might give you decent rates but the difference is not worth the risk, unless you need to bring in $100k for a property purchase. Bringing along loads of cash into the country is still a very risky move with rampant pickpocket (i.e. don't even sit at the back of a scooter with your wallet at the back pocket).
The country has plenty of places accepting card and you probably can live off a grand or two in cash for the odd purchases, which at worse will save you a couple of buck if you manage to get the best possible exchange rate (vs at risk of wallet being emptied with 1 million dongs in it).
that what my 70yo parents do, they put their cash in their undies😂 ..I dont want carry 1000s of aud and the exchange rate for those place is not that great.
And not to mention that it illegal, yeah they do look away but they can bust you any time they want.
I just came back from HCMC.
Rate was effectively spot at the jeweller - I struggle to understand how they make money to be honest but not my problem.
The problem is ATM is you are never certain whether is a fee or not and you are often limited to quantum (8 million VND is not much at all if you plan to do tours, cruises, etc). I would hate to do multiple withdrawals, esp if there is a fee each time.
Since the wealthy in VN don’t keep money in bank, they hoard foreign currency and precious metals. So they make money by selling them. If you try ask them convert back to AUD you see there a bit of spread there.
Just remember this sort of practice is illegal in vietnam.
They make money by peer to peer exchange currency. The risk is actually not worth to take for saving a couple of bucks. The VN gov is increasing activity for cracking down this illegal exchange. And they are using undercover officers. You dont know the customer next to you is actually police or not. If being caught, not only you loose the entire fund but also facing a whole world
of pain in legal consequences.
I wasn’t aware of this.
Any real validation in this or just heresay from others? Couldn’t find anything on this.
I should say that the jeweler I was at had tonnes of ppl lining up and it was in a very metro / popular area hence why I find the crack down very hard to believe.
Here: https://vnexpress.net/bi-phat-90-trieu-dong-vi-doi-100-usd-o…
If you read Vietnamese otherwise google translate will help you. In brief, this poor Vietnamese man was gifted 100$ and exchanged at the jeweller and get caught, fine was ~5k$. Imagine for foreigner.
And not all of the customer lines up there for exchanging money, they are there for buying or selling jewell which are legistimated activities.
Where exactly is the UOB ATM in SGN airport? Is it where the old Citibank ATM used to be right after exiting baggage claim in the arrival hall?
Yes same location, arrival hall (i am sure it same atm just different badge) coz the receipt still say “Citibank”
what if I am a Citibank credit card holder but closed my plus transaction account a few years ago. How do I open this account again? because I am going to vietnam in Nov
They no longer accept opening new citi plus account. And they are going to retired it by may 2024
thank you - so suggestion alternative atm card? I have ING but thats going away too should I just take cash
Option i will use now for my next trip is Macquarie transaction account, no fees from the bank but have to pay ATM opperator about 50K ish ($3). Ok $3 fees for 8M but smaller atm in Vietnam only allow max 2M per withdraw so $3 fee is a bit hefty. I have tried VPBank in Can tho doesnt seem to charge fees for macquarie (last July). Have a look at the list here for some info (scroll to the bottom) https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/citibank_plus_transaction_acco…
ING already taken away the feature last month (August)
HSBC have some atm in HCM but i can't seem to predict how their exchange rate work and not always as good as Macquarie
Just because it might help someone travelling to Vietnam wanting to use Citi/UOB - their ATM's have been officially closed as of 15th Nov.
Thanks, is this all UOB or just the airport?
The airport one has been closed months ago. I was at their main office a day after they closed and saw the notice on all atm.
But I accidentally found out HDBank gave spot rate and no fee for withdrawal. Other cheaper options are sacombank with 1.5% fee (which will be cheap as if you want to withdraw small amounts). Don't touch MBank and the big 4 there as they use dodgy own rate which cost you easily 7% (and no fee lol).
thank you for the info, citi branded cards will be decommissioned feb 2024 anyway replace by NAB branded one. have to see how the NAB one work over there. else Macquarie seem to be best option now
There are also citibank branded ATMs on pham nhu lao st near de tham street (a block over from walking street) in Saigon and at the Pullman Hotel in Hanoi.
Both are fee free and 8mill withdrawal limits.