Money in Vietnam/Cambodia
 

Went to Vietnam years ago and can't remember what currency we took.
Are US$'s enough, we're going to Saigon, Hue & Hoi An and Angkor Wat in Cambodia?
Also after a nice restaurant in Saigon and a tailor that has "fine Cotton".
Thanks in advance ,
Dot

We used US dollars exclusively in Cambodia. Take a stack of ones!

As I remember we used mostly USD in Vietnam, but sometimes the local currency (the unfortunately named Dong) was required.

Our favorite restaurants in HCM were Bun Ha (wonderful food, lovely ambience -- though we only went there for lunch) and Xu (sophisticated though a bit too fusion/trendy).

We also went to Mandarin and Lemon Grass which we thought were just okay. Traditional Vietnamese, but maybe they've seen a few too many tourists.

Quan An Ngon is very popular. We took a look but didn't have the energy for it.

Quan An Ngon is a great place to eat. Sit downstairs though. Upstairs, while it has AC is mostly full of foreigners. Much more fun to share tables with the VN downstairs.

If you use US dollars in VN, you will be paying a huge amount extra. Lasttime I was there, you could get 17,000 Dong for the dollar in ATMs or banks. Everyone who took dollars was offerring 15,000 to the dollar. Take an ATM card.

In Cambodia, dollars work best. Take small, clean bills in the new styles.

Thanks for the info, appreciated.

I preferred to use local currency whenever possible. I did often pay for hotels in dollars, however.

I consider it a courtesy to support a country's currency whenever possible. If people are always paid in dollars or euros, they will never have confidence in their own money.

In Vietnam, they still use the local currency but almost anywhere, you can pay in dollars.
In Cambodia, the dollar is like a second national currency. Hardly anybody uses the local currency, the rial. Even in the supermarket, the prices are quoted in dollars. If you buy something and the cost is not a whole number of dollars, you will get the change for the fractional dollar in rials. You will notice that the rial notes are crisp and brand new, because hardly anybody uses them!

Well, I'm not really in the habit of going to supermarkets when I am in Cambodia.

In my previous post, the currency should be spelled "riel", and not "rial". In any case, it's not very real - everybody wants dollars.

Kerouac - my wife loves to visit supermarkets. She loves to buy the local spices and strange foods. The labels are often partly in English and are easier to understand than the similar products in the market.

Quan An Ngon has good food. if you sit in the garden next to the open kitchen you can watch how food is prepared. Go early as the restaurant while huge fills up fast. For lunch and people watching, Cafe' Terrace at Saigon Center can't be beat. Get a table on the terrace facing the street and try all the juices. Their spring rolls were the best imo in Vietnam. Here is some info from the times :http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/21...l/21hours.html
Some restaurants take credit card but not all. AE is not popular in Asia so you'll need either visa or master card. Gold shop has the best exchange rate for big bills, be very careful as pick-pockets are waiting around. If you like Vietnamese coffee, you can buy them in supermarket, real inexpensive. A popular brand is Trung Nguyen, absolutely delishhhhh.. I wish I bought more.

Quan An Ngon is no longer on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. They have moved to Pastuer now.

Dot, since you'll be in Hoi An I would recommend Thu Thuy Silk for clothing. We returned from Vietnam a week ago and I had 2 dresses and a wool jacket made there. One dress is a gorgeous soft cotton and it fits like a glove. The sales ladies are infinitely friendly, the service great and the tailors are QUICK. We had our first visit to the shop on night 1, first fitting at 2pm the next day and we picked up our garments on night 2.
They offer all fabrics from silk to polyester, so I'm sure you would find fine cotton. In fact, my cotton dress looks and feels like a heavy silk.
I agree with the Quan An Ngon recommendations. Didn't eat there in Saigon, but we had a fantastic meal at the Hanoi restaurant.
I highly recommend using local currency. Everything is priced in Dong and it is way less expensive than paying the round-up difference when using forex. There are ATMs everywhere. We made use of the black market money-changers on the street in Hanoi and had no problem at all, but please don't take this as a recommendation!
In Siem Reap, they certainly preferred USD, but we had riels and found it was cheaper to use them. Be prepared for much higher prices in Cambodia than in Vietnam. Food especially, is more expensive. That said, we ate at the Khmer Kitchen in the Alley (near Pub Street) in Siem Reap and had excellent food at good value ($3 for a Pho-equivalent dish). Also ate at AMOK, an excellent resto, but much more expensive.
Enjoy your trip! I'd go back to both countries tomorrow!

Thank you all for your comments, I'm making numerous notes.