Beerspitnight

My wife and I are headed down to Vietnam from Beijing on Saturday. We are getting the visa-on-arrival (forms already in our hands) and need to pay the stamp fee in US$ from what I understand. It is difficult to get your hands on US$ here in China and I was wondering if anyone knew if there was an atm prior to the visa stamp/payment area so we can get some Dong and pay that way?
Thanks!

Kathie

You do need to pay your stamping fee in US$. I don't believe they will accept dong. And the ATM is well after immigration, so really, you'll likely be asking them if they will accept RMB. Will you have any other foreign currency with you? They really want a hard currency - US dollars,but maybe the Euro or pounds sterling.

thursdaysd

Have you tried asking your hotel or a bank if they will change yuan to dollars or dong? I got my visa at Vietnamese embassy in Beijing, but it looks like you don't have time to do that.

dreaming

It is indeed US dollars that are required. The ladies in front of us in HCMC didn't have the money and the visa people were telling them to go out to the ATM (past customs & immigration). I don't know how that would have worked or if/how they would have needed an escort back and forth. We loaned them the dollars and they paid us back once they got to the currency exchange and ATMs on the other side.

If you can get money changed at the hotel or at the Beijing airport that would ease your way.

Bisbeee

Your China hotel won't have access to Dong, so you'll have to hope you can track down some US Dollars.

Cicerone

I would think that at the Beijing airport when you depart tomorrow you could obtain US Dollars at any foreign exchange desk by trading in RMB for it.

Beerspitnight

Thanks for all of the replies.
US Dollars are hard to come by in China, and I do not think I can get them at the exchange booth at the airport - if I can they will certainly charge a large fee to change over rmb.
I am headed to my bank in Beijing to change over the rmb this afternoon - Chinese tax form and passport in hand (I live and work in Beijing).
Thanks again!

thursdaysd

"I live and work in Beijing" - then why didn't you just get your visa at the embassy? I found it quite easy - the forms were in English and I paid in yuan. Next time...

Beerspitnight

We didn't get a visa from the embassy because we work in Beijing. We didn't feel like taking a day off from work to get a visa when we could pay $40 for a visa service.
Suffice to say the experience was pretty horrible and perhaps we should have taken a day off from work! We arrived in Hanoi via Hong Kong around 11:00pm. Were the first group at the visa window, dropped off our documents and then waited as the groups that were behind us in line got their visas first. They apparently ran out of visa stickers half way through the group and we waited for an hour to get the visa sticker. Ended up being the second to last group of people through the immigration line...at midnight (New Years!) - all of the immigration agents left their booths to celebrate the New Year - we walked though the booth lines to get their attention - they ran back to the booth and stamped our passports. Next time we will hit up the embassy!

In Hanoi now - had a GREAT experience with Hanoi Kids today - would highly recommend them as tour guides. Hooked the girl up with a 100,000 dong tip at the end of the day that she tried to refuse. Told her to go our for dinner and thanks for the great day.

Off to Vine for dinner tonight - 8:00 flight to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.

Been staying at The Rising Dragon hotel - good value for the money and good location. Mr. Thrung is very helpful and I would recommend the rooms for $30 a night.

Thanks for all the info guys!