If you're finalizing the practical side of a Vietnam trip from India, the two things worth sorting before you land are connectivity and cash: an eSIM bought in advance (from about $4-5 for 1GB/7 days) saves airport-counter hassle, and converting cash to US Dollars first — rather than INR directly to Vietnamese Dong — gets you a meaningfully better exchange rate.

Currency: Why USD Beats Direct INR-to-VND

The Vietnamese Dong (VND) is a rare currency to find at Indian banks or forex counters, and where it is available, exchange counters commonly apply a 15-20% markup on the actual rate — a significant hidden cost most travellers don't notice until they compare receipts.

The workaround Indian travellers use: convert INR to US Dollars before leaving India, then exchange USD for VND once you land. USD is widely accepted for exchange in Vietnam and converts at a far more competitive rate than INR does.

As of 2026, the exchange rate hovers around 26,300 VND to 1 USD — useful as a mental benchmark when checking if a rate you're offered is fair.

Where to Exchange Money in Vietnam

• Gold and jewelry shops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City often post the best walk-in exchange rates — a Vietnam-specific quirk worth knowing, since this isn't common practice elsewhere in the region

• Banks offer competitive rates too, but expect to show your passport and wait longer than a jewelry-shop transaction

• Airport counters are the most convenient but consistently offer the weakest rates — fine for ₹2,000-3,000 worth of immediate cash needs, not for your whole trip's budget

Note that 2026 brought stricter currency exchange regulations in Vietnam: general exchange agencies can now only "buy" foreign currency from you, not "sell" it back, so plan your cash needs in one direction and avoid over-converting.

Carrying Cash Day to Day

Keep a mix of small VND notes (₫10,000-50,000) for taxis, street food stalls, and tipping, since vendors in markets and smaller towns often can't break large notes. Cards are widely accepted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City restaurants and hotels, but cash remains essential for Hoi An's old town stalls, motorbike taxis, and rural homestays.

eSIM and SIM Options Compared

Buying data before you land avoids the arrival-hall SIM counter markup and lets you use maps and translation apps from the moment you land.

If your phone doesn't support eSIM, physical tourist SIMs from Viettel, Vinaphone, or MobiFone are sold at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City airport counters and typically include a few GB of data plus local calling credit, for roughly the same price as the eSIM options above.

Quick Reference: Money & Connectivity Checklist

• Convert some INR to USD before departure (a small buffer of $100-200 is usually enough for the first day or two)

• Pre-purchase an eSIM so you land already connected

• Withdraw VND from ATMs for the bulk of your cash needs once in Vietnam — ATM rates are generally fair and beat most exchange counters

• Keep your passport handy for any bank currency exchange

• Carry small VND denominations for markets, street food, and motorbike taxis

Practical Notes Beyond Money and SIMs

Vietnam uses 220V power with mostly two-pin round sockets — similar enough to Indian plugs that many travellers don't need an adapter, though a universal adapter is a safe backup. Grab (ride-hailing) works well in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and is a reliable way to avoid haggling over taxi fares.

If you're building a full Vietnam route around this practical groundwork, our Vietnam itinerary guide covers the day-by-day plan for a 7-10 day trip, and our Cambodia season guide is worth a look if you're combining the two countries into one longer Indochina loop.

ATMs: The Simplest Option for Most Travellers

For many Indian travellers, the least stressful approach is simply withdrawing VND from ATMs after landing, rather than pre-planning multiple currency conversions. Vietnamese ATMs (Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank, and others) are widely available in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hoi An, accept Visa and Mastercard, and typically charge a fixed withdrawal fee equivalent to a few dollars regardless of the amount withdrawn — making larger, less frequent withdrawals more efficient than several small ones. Combined with your Indian bank's foreign transaction fee, this is often competitive with, or better than, airport currency counters, though it won't beat the gold-shop rates mentioned above for cash-only travellers.

Data Roaming vs. Local SIM: Which Indian Travellers Should Choose

Indian telecom operators' international roaming packs for Vietnam are typically priced well above the cost of a local eSIM or physical SIM — often 3-5x more for equivalent data — making a Vietnam-specific eSIM the clearly cheaper choice for any trip longer than a couple of days. The one advantage roaming has is convenience: no need to swap SIMs, no risk of losing your home number's OTP access mid-trip if you rely on dual-SIM phones. Many travellers solve this by keeping their Indian SIM in one slot purely for OTPs and using an eSIM or local SIM in the second slot (or a secondary eSIM if the phone is single-SIM) for actual data use.

Language and Communication Basics

English is spoken at hotels, tour desks, and most restaurants in tourist areas, though it thins out quickly in rural villages and local markets. Translation apps work well for Vietnamese, which uses the Latin alphabet with diacritical marks (unlike Thai or Khmer scripts), making it easier to sound out place names and menu items even without fluent reading ability — a small but genuinely useful advantage for first-time visitors navigating on their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I exchange Indian Rupees directly to Vietnamese Dong? It's not the most efficient route — INR-to-VND exchange in India often carries a 15-20% markup. Converting to USD first, then to VND in Vietnam, is generally cheaper.

Is it better to buy an eSIM before arriving in Vietnam or get a SIM at the airport? Both work, but a pre-purchased eSIM means you're connected the moment you land, without queuing at an arrival-hall counter.

Can I use my Indian debit or credit card in Vietnam? Yes, at ATMs and in most city hotels/restaurants, but carry cash for markets, street food, and smaller towns where card acceptance is inconsistent.

How much cash should I carry in Vietnam? Enough VND for daily food, transport, and markets (a rough guide is ₫500,000-1,000,000/day for a mid-range traveller), topped up via ATM withdrawals as needed rather than carrying it all upfront.

Do gold shops really offer better exchange rates than banks in Vietnam? Yes, this is a genuine local practice in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City — gold and jewelry shops commonly post competitive walk-in exchange rates, though banks are the safer bet if you prefer a documented transaction.

Once your money and SIM plan is sorted, Zippy Trips' AI planner can slot the rest of your Vietnam trip together — routes, stays, and day plans — so the only thing left to figure out on the ground is which banh mi stall to try first.