Things Many Tourists & Wanna-be Expats Could Do Better
Money and banking... and international travel for beginners
This Substack is about life in Vietnam from the viewpoint of a 10-year expat who spent his first 60 years in a low-context culture.
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This could also be called, “Do Your Flippin’ Research!”, however, the three corporate charm school courses I took back in the 90’s (they called it “Interpersonal Skills” and yes, I needed all three) would say that’s a bit off-putting and judgmental.
Yeah… and? {insert big smile here}
I decided to write this a few days ago when a man who is either a few years younger than I or who has more experience with alternative, mind-expanding pharmaceuticals than I, approached me in a bank lobby with,
You look like you might speak English?
He was there to exchange Canadian dollars for Vietnamese đồng and asked how he could do it. After I got him the bank form and pointed him to the correct window, he asked more questions:
How long I’ve lived here?
(10 years)How do I deal with the “visa situation”?
(I’m married, so I have a two-year Temporary Resident Card [TRC].)How can he open a bank account in VN?
(He can’t. They require either a TRC or equivalent.)
Then it got interesting. He told me that before he left Canada to move to Vietnam, he closed his bank accounts and
I put all my money on my Visa (card).
Now, he can’t understand why the ATMs here won’t give him his money. Maybe because your Visa card isn’t a cash card?
I thought I could pay for everything with my Visa card.
To myself, “Did this guy do any research? I’m guessing not.”
To him, “Yes, I know that ‘at home’, many people use cards or apps on their phone to pay for literally everything, but you’re in Vietnam, now.”
I told him that although many mom-and-pop restaurants now take electronic transfers from Vietnamese-based accounts, foreigners without a local bank account need cash for most things.
He was shocked.
The only time I regularly use a credit card in Vietnam is when ordering something from an on-line retailer (Lazada) — and they are very picky about which cards they’ll accept.
IF an up-scale hotel or restaurant will take a credit card, most charge a 3-4% fee to cover what they have to pay the card company. Other than Lazada, the only times I’ve not been asked to pay the fee were at an Apple-authorized retailer and Marriott chain hotels, both in Saigon.
At this point, they called him to the exchange window, so he excused himself. Had he asked me to stay and wait for him so we could talk some more, I would have gladly done so. Since he didn’t, I didn’t. Most people don’t appreciate unsolicited advice, and I didn’t want to be “one of those”.
This time.
I instead headed home to write this.
I got my first passport more than 40 years ago, and can forget that some people are now planning or on their first-ever trip out of their home country. Each time I have a conversation like the one above, I am amazed that people who are either smart enough or fortunate enough to have sufficient disposable income to buy a plane ticket across an ocean or a continent do so with little information and no safety net; especially now that the Internet is omnipresent and close to omniscient if you just look. I’m starting to think that these are some of the same people who treat dangerous wildlife as Disney animatronics.
Some of you who are not yet offended may take offense at the obvious nature of what comes next. If so, you are NOT the target demographic — you’ve most likely either already traveled a bit or done your research.
Or both.
What follows is mostly for people who have never left their home country or have only lived and traveled on the same continent. I put together a few lists based on my personal experiences and stories I’ve heard that may help.
Even if you’ve traveled, there may be a gem or two lurking below for you.
Two months out
Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after you plan to enter the last country on your itinerary. If not, send in your renewal now.
Determine which countries you plan to visit require a visa, and have the requisite number of blank pages in your passport if getting hard copies.
Apply for the visas electronically, if possible. Even if you think you will only go in/out once from a country, if they differentiate between single- and multiple-entry visas, go for the multiple. Plans change.
If hard-copy visas are required or desired, apply for them early enough (see 3. re single-/multiple-entry) that you’re ensured of having them and your passport back in your hands at least a couple weeks prior to your departure date.
Some countries allow a “visa-on-arrival” and only know you’re on your way there if you’re on an incoming flight manifest. Cambodia is one of these — show up at the border; fill in a form; wait in line; hand the form and the fee to the officer; get a visa.
Some, like Vietnam, require that you have either a visa or a visa letter prior to boarding your inbound flight. If you have neither, the airline will NOT give you a boarding pass, regardless of how much you beg or plead.
At least two or three times every month, there are posts in Facebook groups for expats in Vietnam in which the poster says thought they could apply for a visa at the arrival airport and now the airline won’t let them board and “how do I get a Vietnam visa NOW?” literally from their departure airport. They can’t, so they just lost a LOT of money.
Make reservations for your first two nights at your destination. This gives you options. If you’re landing immediately prior to or during a big local event (not recommended for a first-time visit— arrive a few days before to get your bearings), you will need a longer initial stay.
The first time I came to Vietnam, I booked my first two nights at a Marriott property “downtown”. This allowed me to get my bearings and explore a bit from a comfortable home base, easing the transition. Then, I was able to pick a nice, local mom-and-pop hotel that suited my needs for the next couple weeks. Doing this gave me a much more authentic local experience and put my money directly into the local economy, instead of into a large corporation’s coffers. It was also less expensive.Go to Facebook and join expat groups in the countries you plan to visit. Lurk for the first week or two, reading posts to learn. Don’t ask questions just yet, because a lot of what you want to know is already there if you use the search-the-group feature.
If you’re coming to Vietnam, check out the Vietnam Coracle web site. They travel throughout the country on a 125cc motorbike and stay at locally-run hotels and guest houses before writing very engaging articles for tourists and travelers. I’ve been here 10 years and still look at it before every trip to ensure I get the most out of each day. Put the name of the places you’re going into their search window at the top right corner, and chances are pretty good what they’ve found will make your trip better.
If you’re not coming to Vietnam this trip, check it out anyway. It may be the catalyst you need to come here.Search the Internet to see if there’s someone doing a Vietnam Coracle-like web site for the countries on your intinerary.
Ask your bank or credit union if they will charge you for overseas ATM withdrawals or merchant charges. If they do, find one that doesn’t and open an account there.
NEVER assume you can open a bank account in a foreign country, especially on a tourist visa. If you can, it’s a bonus.
I’ve lived in VN for 10 years, and could open an account if I wanted to, but the rules for foreigners are too stringent to suit me. For example, the only way to put money in a foreigner’s account is via electronic transfer. If my wife (a VN citizen) or anyone else wants to deposit cash in my account, they cannot. They must put the money in their account and then electronically transfer it to my account. I learned very early here that that it’s easiest to use my no-fee ATM card to get cash from my US account. It’s also easier to pay credit card and other bills electronically from my home country account, especially because I live in a country in which it is very difficult to send money out.
Two weeks to a month out
Rules change, so verify that the countries for which you didn’t need a visa before still don’t require one. If one now does, plan on spending a lot on FedEx or courier fees to have a chance of making your departure date.
Inform your financial institution that you are going out of the country; which countries you’ll visit, including transiting; and when you will return. Otherwise, they might deny your legitimate transactions until you tell them you’ve left.
If you’re giving up your apartment or selling your house with no intention of returning for a long time (if ever), ask a trusted friend to let you use their address for your financial accounts. My credit union1 allows me to use a foreign address, but that is not universal. Do NOT close your accounts yet.
Ask in the expat group what taxi companies to trust from the airport and around town. Grab is prevalent in Asia, BUT harder to locate at the airports than taxis and the prices aren’t much different to/from airports.
Contact your hotel and ask them to send you their name and full address written in the local language. Print this out so you can give it to the taxi driver at the airport. Also save it in your phone along with their local phone number.
Get an International Driving Permit (IDP), even if you have zero plans to drive or ride while traveling. Plans change, and these are only available to those who have a license in the issuing country.
An IDP is NOT a license; it is a translation of your license’s parameters into many other languages and only valid when accompanied by your home country license. Once you cross your border, you cannot get one. In the US and Canada, they’re issued by AAA and CAA, respectively. Elsewhere, do an Internet search to find the issuer.Withdraw enough cash for a week’s expenses to take with you, preferably in crisp, clean, no-defects $100 bills. Most currency exchanges offer a slightly better exchange rate for large bills than for the smaller denominations and if they’re anything but pristine, they won’t take them at all. Here in VN, many of the exchanges and gold shops won’t take anything smaller than $50.
One more thing re exchanging currency… in VN and much of Asia, shops that sell gold and jewelry often give a better exchange rate than banks and always better than the "Currency Exchange” shops. When exchanging USD for VND, I always check the Xe app so I know what ballpark the shop should be in.
Day of departure
While getting dressed to go to the airport, stash your cash in at least two different pockets away from your wallet. Front pants pockets or ones that Velcro or zip shut are best.
Arrive at the airport three or more hours before your international flight. It’s infinitely better to sit in the airport relaxing than stressing they’ll close the check-in counter before you arrive.
If you plan to get an eSIM from an app like airalo.com, this is a great time to do that. If you get it using the link or QR code, I get a little baksheesh. Thanks.
If you’re not sure if something is allowed into one of the countries you’re going to, leave it at home. This should be a “given”, but looking at the news reports, it’s apparently not.
Take any prescription meds in the pharmacy container. In some countries, it’s good to have a copy of the prescription.
On the plane
Do NOT walk around in your bare feet. Why not? Google it.
If you plan/hope to sleep on the plane, keep your passport, phone, and money on your person and under the blanket. The multiple pockets in cargo pants are especially useful here.
Fasten your seatbelt OVER your blanket or the flight attendants will wake you up to check on it if the seat belt sign comes on.
Drink lots of water, not alcohol.
Upon Arrival
Since you didn’t get drunk on the plane, it’ll be easy to be polite to the Immigration agent. They’re overworked, human, and not in the mood for joking around or suffering fools. Your visa got you to this point, but Immigration can still send you back if they so choose, no reason needed.
I would think this one is another “given”, but it’s not. Don’t lie to Customs (or Immigration). Doing so can be very expensive and embarrassing. Years ago, I knew a US citizen who left a suit he’d had made in Hong Kong off his US Customs declaration form. They caught him and he got to pay the original, small importation tax and a much larger fine. What’s worse (and very funny to everyone but him) is that he traveled overseas a LOT for business, and for many years, every single time he re-entered the US, a Customs agent took him to a small room and strip-searched him while another agent ransacked his luggage. Fun times.
Exchange US$100 at the airport exchange kiosk for local currency. Yes, the rate probably isn’t the best, but you need cash for the taxi to the hotel, especially in a developing country.
NOTE: You will need local currency in almost all countries. The only three countries I know of where US dollars are accepted as currency are Cambodia, Costa Rica, and the US. Other than that, exchange your home country’s money for the local bills; learning the country’s money is part of the travel experience.If you’ve not purchased an eSIM on-line or from an app, buy a physical one from one of the airport kiosks. Make sure you get more data than you think you’ll need and that you can top it off if needed.
Take one of the recommended taxis and make sure they turn on the meter. If there is no meter, give them the paper with the address of your hotel and ask how much it will cost BEFORE they start driving. Since you have a local SIM card, use Google Translate on your phone if needed.
When you get to the hotel, grab a few business cards to give taxi drivers when you want to return there. This makes it much easier for them to understand where you want to go.
Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Listen to your gut.
If a situation feels “off”, leave.
Have a great trip!
Washington State Employees Credit Union in Washington state, USA. You do NOT need to be a state employee to join, but you need to live in WA when you open the account. Many other states have similar options.
Brilliant! No, I am not a Brit...lol. This is simple, direct (always appreciated, being butt hurt is my problem and no one else's problem or business) and clear...hence the use of "Brilliant". Even for a seasoned traveller these are great reminders. Thank you.
Great breakdown. I will ‘level up’ your excellent advice to bring $100 usd bills by saying to make sure they are clean and crisp. Old ratty bills sometimes won’t be exchanged. Again, great article for new travelers.