Đồng · ₫ · Official currency of Vietnam
The Vietnamese đồng (₫) took its current unified form in 1978, when the currencies of North and South Vietnam were merged into a single system. It's issued by the State Bank of Vietnam (Ngân hàng Nhà nước Việt Nam, SBV), and today's denomination structure took shape through two currency reforms, in 1985 and 1989. Vietnam has a long history of high inflation, so its face values are far larger than in most other countries — in everyday conversation, people commonly round prices to the nearest 10,000 đồng. Mobile payment apps like Momo and ZaloPay have spread quickly in cities in recent years, though cash still dominates day-to-day spending.
Nine denominations circulate, from 1,000₫ to 500,000₫. Notes of 10,000₫ and above are mostly made of durable, counterfeit-resistant polymer, while the smaller 1,000₫, 2,000₫, and 5,000₫ notes are still printed on traditional cotton paper. One thing travelers often mix up is color: the 20,000₫ note (blue) and the 500,000₫ note (teal/blue-green) can look surprisingly similar in dim light or when paying in a hurry, and handing over the wrong one by mistake is a commonly reported slip-up. It's worth double-checking the printed number before completing a cash payment.
Exchanging money at a bank or a well-reviewed local gold shop (tiệm vàng) usually gets a better rate than airport kiosks. ATMs are widely available if you need cash, but withdrawal limits and fees vary by bank, so it's worth checking in advance. To spot a counterfeit, look for the clear see-through window and watermark unique to the polymer notes. The đồng (VND) is the only official legal tender — some tourist spots informally accept US dollars, but that isn't a legally guaranteed payment method, so it's good to keep some VND cash on hand.
You can view the real banknote designs on the State Bank of Vietnam's official page.
See Vietnamese Dong banknotes at today's exchange rate →