How to read prices
50k means 50,000 VND, 250k means 250,000 VND, and 1.5m means 1,500,000 VND. Apps and official receipts usually display the full amount, while landlords, menus, and social media often use abbreviations.
Banknotes
Vietnam uses banknotes in a range of denominations, including larger polymer notes. A visitor does not need to memorise an encyclopaedic list; build one simple habit instead: read the full number before handing over money. This is especially useful at night, in taxis, and at markets where transactions happen quickly.
Why people sometimes say 'one hundred' instead of 'one hundred thousand'
In everyday speech, context often removes the zeros. If a coffee clearly cannot cost 35 dong, '35' means 35,000. Foreign visitors are better off not copying this shorthand until they are comfortable with the scale of prices; asking again or showing the amount on a calculator is safer than being off by a factor of ten.
Should you bring US dollars?
Domestic purchases are made in local currency. USD and EUR can be useful as exchange reserves, but normal shops, transport, and cafés price goods in VND. If a business quotes a price in USD, ask which rate will be used when the payment is actually settled in dong.
How to estimate prices quickly
Exchange rates change, so use a live converter when you need an exact amount. Mental estimates are useful only for a rough check.
Questions and answers
What is Vietnam's currency called?
The Vietnamese dong, international code VND.
What does 100k mean in Vietnam?
100,000 VND.
Can I pay in US dollars?
For normal purchases, expect to pay in VND. Foreign currency is better exchanged first.
Why do prices have so many zeros?
That is simply the scale of the current denomination; everyday transactions in the millions of VND are not automatically unusually expensive.