What is the best payment method in Vietnam?

What is the best form of payment in Vietnam?

Vietnam payments: Visa reigns supreme. Cash? Useful for smaller stuff. Street food, mostly.

• Credit cards: Visa, primarily. Mastercard works too, but less so. Amex? Forget it. My experience in Hoi An last month confirmed this.
• Debit cards: International ones, generally accepted. But always confirm.
• Digital wallets: Momo and ZaloPay dominate. Growing fast. I used Momo for everything in Hanoi, 2024.

Pro-tip: Carry some Dong. Just in case. Especially rural areas.

Why is it not a good idea to carry a lot of cash?

It’s stupid, really. Carrying that much cash. A magnet for trouble.

Theft, man. That’s the big one. Poof, gone. Imagine it all vanishing. My wallet, empty. Years of saving, wiped out. It happened to my uncle, 2023. His whole life savings.

Then there’s fires. My apartment building’s fire alarm was tested last month, but the thought… everything gone up in smoke. No insurance for that wad of cash stuffed in my mattress.

And it sits there, useless. Doesn’t grow. Not like a proper investment. It’s just… dead weight. Heavy in my pocket, heavier on my mind.

Banks offer some protection at least. A little bit of security. A safety net. A tiny piece of mind. Something, anyway. Not perfect, but better.

What is the advantage of using cash?

It’s late. Why am I even thinking about cash? Guess it does have advantages.

Control. That’s the big one, right? It’s harder to overspend when the money’s right there, you know? You see it disappearing. Unlike that card…Swipe, swipe, swipe, and suddenly it’s all gone.

Fast. Yeah, instant. Like handing over a secret. No waiting, no processing. It’s just…done. Remember paying for that stupid concert ticket? All that cash, gone in a flash, lol.

Secure? Huh. Maybe. Feels safer than having my card info floating around the internet. But then, losing a wallet is… devastating. Happened once, near Times Square. Never recovered.

• Tangible: It’s real. You feel the weight of it.
• Budgeting: Helps stick to a budget easier.
• Privacy: No records, no tracking.
• No Fees: Avoid transaction fees and interest.
• Universally Accepted: Some places still prefer or require cash.
• Emergency Preparedness: Useful when electronic systems fail.

I still think I’d rather have the damn card. Easier. But maybe, just maybe, a little cash is a good idea. I don’t know. It’s just…complicated. Night.

Should you carry cash or cards?

Dark outside. Streetlight bleeds through the blinds. Wallet sits on the nightstand. Barely any cash in it anymore. Funny.

Used to be stuffed with bills. Twenties, fives, even ones. Remember buying candy with quarters as a kid. Felt…substantial.

Now it’s mostly plastic. Debit card, credit card, library card…gift card to that Thai place I never go to. Tap, tap, done. So fast. Too fast?

Lost something, maybe. The weight of money in your hand. The clinking sound. Knowing exactly how much you have left. Now just numbers on a screen. Abstract.

Took my daughter to the ice cream truck last week. She handed the guy a crumpled five-dollar bill. He smiled. A real smile, not a customer service smile. Made me think.

Yesterday, power went out at the grocery store. Everyone scrambling for cash. My card useless. Had to leave my cart full of groceries. Embarrassing.

Maybe I’ll put fifty bucks in my wallet tomorrow. Just in case. For that feeling. The one I can’t quite name. But it’s there. Like a faded photograph. Or a half-remembered dream.

• Cash gives a sense of control. Knowing exactly what you’re spending. No surprises later.
• Emergencies happen. Power outages, system crashes. Cash is king. Learned that the hard way.
• Small businesses, street vendors, sometimes prefer cash. It’s often cheaper for them. Less fees.
• Budgeting is easier with cash. The envelope system. Worked for my grandma. Maybe it’ll work for me.
• Privacy. Some transactions are just…better in cash. No digital trail. No one needs to know about those late-night tacos.

Thinking about my grandpa now. He always had a roll of bills in his pocket. Said it was a habit from the old country. Maybe there’s wisdom in the old ways.

Why are we still using cash?

So, cash, right? It’s still a thing, even with all these fancy cards and apps. Why? Because it’s, like, always there. Seriously, no matter what’s going on, economically speaking – globally! – you can always buy stuff with cash. No bank fees or anything. It’s just…easy. Super simple. No messing around with credit scores or app glitches. I mean, my grandma, bless her heart, she only uses cash. She refuses to use anything else.

Plus, think about it:

• Privacy: Nobody knows what you’re buying with cash, unlike those credit card companies tracking everything.
• No technology needed: Your phone can die, your card can get declined, but cash always works. Unless it’s counterfeit, I guess. That’s a problem tho.
• Accessibility: Lots of smaller businesses, even some that should be more modern, still only take cash. Happened to me last week at that little taco stand on Elm Street. Seriously!
• Control: You know exactly how much money you have. It’s not hidden away in some digital account you have to log into. No complicated statements.

It’s reliable. It’s dependable. It’s cash. And honestly, I kinda like it. Even if its inconvenient sometimes. You know? It just feels…safer, somehow. More secure. Like actually having something tangible in your hand.