lorib1

We leave for Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam in 6 weeks and I'm wondering about currency/travelers cheques for the various countries. I know I can use my ATM and credit cards but will have to deal with exchange fees.

We will be in Thailand for 7 days, Vietnam for 5 days, and Cambodia for 3 days. How much local currency should we have ahead of time and also how easy is it to exchange travelers cheques? Do locals like/take US Dollars?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Gpanda

In Cambodia, you will need US dollars. Take a bunch of $20 dollar bills and a bunch of $1 dollar bills. We went for three days and I took $1500 total. I used it to pay for the hotel, restaurants and guides as well as shopping.

cruisinred

There is an ATM at the Siem Reap airport that dispenses USD. I believe it was an ANZ machine (or some other non-Cambodian bank).
ATM cards also worked fine for me in Thailand and Vietnam.
Getting foreign currency in advance (at a bad rate) will not be any savings vs. using an ATM and paying a small exchange fee.

lorib1

Thx for the responses so far.

So for Cambodia, USD. What about in Thailand and Vietnam?

Also - what is recommended for gratuity for a driver and for a guide for the day? We will have both on several days of our trip.

Thanks again.

lovesublime

Thai currency is called baht, you can see the exchange rate at xe.com
I dont recall anyone taking travelers checks in Thailand but there were plenty of ATMs and banks to exchange money. Thais are happy to take USD if you dont have baht usually. I just exchanged more money less often, so I wouldnt have to constantly worry about not having money.

Kathie

In Thailand, you will want to use baht. You can get baht via an ATM, by exchanging cash at at an exchange booth or bank or by cashing travelers checks. There is a fee (about US$1) for cashing a travelers checks.

In VN, the currency is the dong. Likewise, you can get dong from an ATM or by exchanging cash. The dong is worthless outside of VN, so spend it before you leave.

lorib1

thanks for the quick replies.

Any advice on the tipping?

Gpanda

In Thailand, there are many ATM's from which you can easily obtain Baht. Not an issue at all.

SirHalberd

I get my travelers checks without commission from my Credit Union, so I bring them with me, only the large denominations ($100 or higher.) Travelers checks work pretty good in Thailand, only 33 baht to cash each one. Thailand is one of the easiest and cheapest place to cash travelers checks.

ATM's are all over Thailand and the rates are pretty good! Make sure you tell your bank or credit union that you will be overseas so the ATM doesn't decline your withdrawal! The bank may suspect fraudulent use of the card without prior notification. Also, don't use your credit cards for cheap purchases in stores and especially restaurants where your card may be used for fraudulent charges. USE CASH!

Some credit cards have big fees per ATM withdrawal overseas - bring the card with you with the cheapest fees. If you make a lot of small withdrawals you may end up with lots of fees.

Bring more than one card because if you rely on a single card and it is damaged or stolen you will be out of luck.

I bring cash, TC's, and use my debit card in ATM's. (There are credit unions that have no fees on ATM use, even overseas!)

I agree with the U.S. dollars use in Laos and Cambodia. It is good to have some local currency too - but don't take it out of the country because it is almost useless elsewhere! A little local currency is good for cheap purchases or you may not get any change back from bigger bills.

Usually when you change your money over while in a different country you lose on the exchange. Best rates will be after you arrive in the country.

Good luck.

cookiescompanion

Dong for Vietnam (can get from ATMS which there are heaps of in the bigger cities). As someone else said, spend it here because its worthless outside of Vietnam. I would get the dong from an ATM in Vietnam (my fees from the bank were only a few dollars and because you are there only 5 days you could probably get all yoru money in one hit), though would probably take a bit for the first day.

USD for Cambodia. Take clean notes in small denominations. Make sure they are not torn or dirty cause some people may not take them. If it is for a small amount (e.g. at the markets or buying bottled water), you will probably get your change in riel (from memory I think there are approx 4000 riel to a USD). We used ATMS in Cambodia too (but we only went to PP and Siem Reap, - I dont think there are many, if any ATMS, outside these cities), but had a large amount of USD to start with. If you are only in Cambdia for 3 days, then I would take enough USD to cover you for the 3 days. Without knowledge of your style of travel, I cannot tell you how much this would be, but for myself (stayed in guesthouses, ate in restaurants, got laundry done, went to markets etc.) I would estimate maybe 40USD per day + accomodation + driver (if you are getting one).

Sorry dont know about travelers cheques or about Thailand.