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[Anharchy]

A quick question for anyone who's traveled to Vietnam: Was it terribly difficult exchanging Yen for Dong at hotels/banks?

I've heard about the popularity of USD in Vietnam, but I'm not really feeling keen on going to the foreign exchange to get some JPY turned into USD and then having to turn some of that into Dong, unless that's the wisest option in your collective opinions. I'm afeaaared of getting too screwed on the exchange rate.

I searched for "vietnam exchange," "vietnam yen," "vietnam currency," but didn't turn up anything, so if anyone has any information, I'd totally appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

[Gordon]

Get US dollars before you go to Vietnam. Most places accept US dollars for almost anything and if you get dong from US dollars the rate is competitive. I'd forget yen there, but it would not be impossible.

[chinagirl]

Use dollars. Many larger places take credit cards (with added surcharges) , which is another option for larger places, but you're really going to have problems unless you bite the bullet and get some USD. I was there about 5 years ago from my residence in Japan and I am guessing this is still the case.

[Gordon]