Cash, card, or QR?
Cities are going cashless; the mountains still want notes. Here's your personalized payment plan — and how to never lose money to the wrong method.
Your trip · home card
Hà Nội · Sapa · Hội An
Your payment plan
Three methods. Use each where it wins.
Cash
Bring/withdraw ~$200
Sapa, markets, street food, small towns are cash-only. Cities increasingly cashless.
✓ Best way to get VND: ATM on arrival (not the airport kiosk). Agribank = cheapest fees.
Exchange strategy · J8
Where to get the best rate.
Withdraw VND from a bank ATM in Vietnam
Gold / jewelry shops give good cash rates
Exchange at home before flying (bad rate)
Airport kiosks (the single worst rate)
Context cheat-sheet · J18
What to use, where.
Street food
CashCafé
QR / cashHotel
CardMarket
Cash + haggleGrab
In-app cardMuseum
CashI'll weave this into your trip
Done reading? I'll handle the planning
Everything in these hubs is applied automatically when I build your itinerary. No copy-paste needed.
