GOLDEN OLDIE Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Going on holiday to Vietnam/Cambodia in next few weeks. Has anyone been? Need to know if it is advisable to take local currency besides dollars? And how did people obtain it - cash points or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stockers Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I went to Vietnam about 10 years ago and in major cities US dollars were widely used, however dong were also used and could be obtained from cash machines, I think we took US dollars in travellers cheques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matsalleh Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Going on holiday to Vietnam/Cambodia in next few weeks. Has anyone been? Need to know if it is advisable to take local currency besides dollars? And how did people obtain it - cash points or not? Many places in Vietnam will accept dollars or dongs.I used banks to change money,I don't recall seeing any ATMs,but did not look for them. Shop around and be sensible.Some people in our hotel bought dresses made in 24 hours and then complained about the quality,I didn't help by asking why not pay a small deposit and the rest when satisfied after all you here for 2 weeks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottf Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 We just used dollars in Cambodia,Everything is priced in dollars if we tried to pay in local riel the exchange rate they apply isn't the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rand Hobart Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I have never been there but the Top Gear bike special from Vietnam made it look a beautiful country. Worth checking out if you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 You'll need a raincoat or at least clothing that dries out fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callippo Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 We just used dollars in Cambodia,Everything is priced in dollars if we tried to pay in local riel the exchange rate they apply isn't the best. not everything is priced in dollars, anything that costs less than 1 dollar is priced in riel as only US bills, not coins, are used. The rate of riel against the dollar is 4100 to 1, but in practice everyone just uses the figure of 4000, when they are converting. Khmers use this rate among themselves too, not just with foreigners, so they're not ripping you off by this. pricing in US dollars has an inflationary effect on foreigners, for example if you want a haircut you will probably not be able to get one for less than 1 dollar, when normal price for a haircut in the province in Cambodia is more like 1,500 to 2,000 riel. Even in Phnom Penh, a Khmer would not pay as much as 1 dollar for a basic haircut. This goes for other services, like motorcycle taxi rides too, where fares will quite often be 2000 or 3000 riel, less than 1 dollar. 1 dollar is not a small amount of money in Cambodia. In tourist areas a can of Coke, for example will also not be less than 1 dollar when 1 dollar for a can of Coke in a place like Cambodia is a lot of money. Away from a tourist area, it's only 2000 riel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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