Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the largest city of Vietnam, attracts big numbers of tourists who are recommended to use local currency (Vietnamese – VND) for daily expenses as it’s more cost effective way that paying in US Dollars. Currency exchange rates in Ho Chi Minh City vary a lot so it's really useful to know where the best Ho Chi Minh City money changers can be found.
Money Changers at Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN)
Contrary to most of other airports worldwide, Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City is a good place to exchange your currency. In most cases, currency exchange rates at Ho Chi Minh Airport are as good as you can find at the best money changers of the city. Plenty of money changers can be found in central Saigon but exchange rates there are more or less the same as at the airport.
However, you need to look for the right money changer if you are willing to get the fair exchange rate for your foreign currency at Saigon Airport. For detailed information about currency exchange at Tan Son Nhat Airport check currency exchange at SGN Airport.
Money Changers near Ben Thanh Market
Ben Thanh Market attracts crowds of tourists visiting Ho Chi Minh City as it is a great place to buy local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art and other souvenirs as well as to taste local street food. Not surprisingly, two of the best money changers in Saigon are the gold shops located on the opposite side of the street from Ben Thanh Market.
These gold shops are mainly focused on currency exchange service and are very popular not only between tourists but also local people as they are offering some of the best currency exchange rates in Ho Chi Minh City District 1. The Jewelry shops named Mai Van and Ha Tam are located next to each other so comparing exchange rates between them is really easy and worth doing.
Mai Van Money Changer
Mai Van Jewelry Shop is located 1 min walk from Ben Thanh Market, at 1A Nguyen An Ninh in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. You can contact them by phone number +84 28 3823 1836 to find out what is the exchange rate of your desired currency. This gold shop seems to be offering currency exchange service in cooperation with Agribank.
During our visit Mai Van Jewelry Shop was offering currency exchange of several foreign currencies and exchange rates were the following:
- US Dollars – 23,110 VND (50-100 USD notes), 23,090 VND (5-20 USD notes), 23,010 VND (smaller USD notes)
- Euro – 25,372 VND
- British Pounds - 29,618 VND
- Japanese Yen - 205.39 VND
- Australian Dollar – 15,501 VND
- Singapore Dollar – 16,826 VND
- Canadian Dollar – 17,184 VND
Even if exchange rates here were reasonable, they were not the best you could get in Ho Chi Minh City. You just need to cross the small street to get better exchange rates on another corner of the same intersection.
Ha Tam Money Changer
Ha Tam Jewelry Shop is located next to Ben Thanh Market and Mai Van Jewelry Shop, at 2 Nguyen An Ninh in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. If you would like to contact them, Ha Tam Jewelry Shop phone number is +84 28 3823 7243.
Ha Tam Jewelry Shop was offering the following exchange rates for foreign currencies at the time of our visit:
- US Dollars – 23,130 VND (50-100 USD notes)
- Euro – 25,452 VND
- British Pounds - 29,712 VND
- Japanese Yen - 211.74 VND
- Australian Dollar – 15,620 VND
- Singapore Dollar – 16,879 VND
- Canadian Dollar – 17,334 VND
Ha Tam Jewelry Shop was offering better exchange rates for all the currencies if compared to Mai Van Jewelry Shop. The only downside here is that you might need to wait in a queue as there are normally waiting for currency exchange here.
EximBank Money Changer in Ho Chi Minh City
If you will find yourself in the area next to Saigon Opera House and the iconic Nguyen Hue street, you won’t need to go to Ben Thanh Market to exchange your foreign currency to Vietnamese Dong at a fair rate. EximBank Money Exchange 59B, located just about 50 meters from Saigon Opera House at 135 Dong Khoi in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City, is offering some of the best currency exchange rates in Saigon.
Money Exchange 59B is an authorized exchange bureau of EximBank so for current currency exchange rates you can check the website of EximBank.
Best Currency Exchange Rates in Ho Chi Minh City
How good were the best currency exchange rates we could find in Ho Chi Minh City during our last visit? Let’s see!
Best USD exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market USD exchange rate at the time of our visit in Saigon was 23,243 VND for 1 US Dollar, so the best rate offered there (23,130 VND/USD) was only by 113 VND or about 0.5% lower than the mid-market exchange rate. For every 100 US Dollars exchanged here you’re losing only about 0.44 USD.
However, the best exchange rate is offered only for large US Dollar notes so bring 50 USD or 100 USD bills to get the best value for your money.
Best EUR exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market EUR exchange rate during our visit was 25,666 VND for 1 Euro, so the best exchange rate offered in Ho Chi Minh City (25,452 VND/EUR) was by 214 VND or about 0.8% lower than the mid-market rate. For every 100 Euro exchanged here you’re losing 0.83 EUR.
Best GBP exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market GBP exchange rate at the time was 29,887 VND for 1 British Pound, so the best exchange rate offered in the city (29,712 VND/GBP) was by 175 VND or by about 0.6% lower than the mid-market rate.
Best AUD exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market AUD exchange rate during our visit was 15,805 VND for 1 Australian Dollar, so the best exchange rate offered in Saigon (15,620 VND/AUD) was by 185 VND or by about 1.2% lower than the mid-market rate.
Best CAD exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market CAD exchange rate at the time was 17,512 VND for 1 Canadian Dollar, so the best exchange rate offered in Ho Chi Minh City (17,334 VND/CAD) was by 178 VND or by about 1% lower than the mid-market rate.
Best SGD exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market SGD exchange rate at during our visit was 17,069 VND for 1 Singapore Dollar, so the best exchange rate offered in the city (16,879 VND/SGD) was by 190 VND or by about 1.1% lower than the mid-market rate.
Best JPY exchange rate in Ho Chi Minh City
The mid-market JPY exchange rate at the time was 214.37 VND for 1 Japanese Yen, so the exchange rate offered in Saigon (211.74 VND/JPY) was by 2.63 VND or by only about 1.2% lower than the mid-market rate.
Exchange of other currencies
Even if it’s possible to exchange other currencies in Ho Chi Minh City as well, exchange rates given for less popular currencies are usually significantly lower. In such a case exchanging your local currency to USD at home and then converting US Dollars to Vietnamese Dong in Vietnam might be the most economical option.