Taking Money Out of Vietnam: The Bank Letter Nobody Mentions
The cash thresholds for entering Vietnam are well covered. The thresholds for leaving are the same numbers, which is why most guides stop there and move on.
They should not. On the way out there is a second requirement that does not exist on the way in, and it is the kind that cannot be fixed at the counter.
The Thresholds
| What you are carrying | Declare above |
|---|---|
| Foreign currency, cash | US$5,000 or equivalent |
| Vietnamese dong, cash | 15,000,000 VND |
| Gold | 300g |
The currency thresholds come from the State Bank’s Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN, and they apply per person crossing an international checkpoint — in either direction.
The Part That Catches People: The Bank Certificate
On arrival, exceeding the threshold means filling in a customs declaration. That is the whole obligation.
On departure, exceeding the threshold means presenting one of two documents at the checkpoint:
- A certificate authorising the export of cash foreign currency or Vietnamese dong, issued by a licensed credit institution — in practice, a commercial bank; or
- A written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam.
Licensed banks are obliged to issue this certificate to individuals carrying cash abroad for travel purposes. The practical point is that you have to ask, in advance, at the bank — ideally the same bank where you changed or withdrew the money, since they can see the source.
The Leftover Dong Problem
This is where the rule bites hardest, and it is almost never the situation people expect.
Fifteen million dong sounds like a lot until you convert it. It is a fairly ordinary amount to be holding at the end of a trip if you changed money generously at the start, paid for most things by card, and never got round to changing the rest back. Plenty of travellers also take dong home deliberately — the 500,000 note is a popular souvenir, and families sometimes keep a stack for children.
Changing it back is usually the easier answer. Vietnamese dong is difficult to exchange outside Vietnam and typically at a poor rate, so carrying a large amount home rarely makes financial sense in the first place.
Flying out of Vietnam?
Departure is three separate queues, not one. All three lanes handled for $45 per person.
Gold Counts Too — Including What You Are Wearing
The gold threshold is 300 grams, and the part people miss is that jewellery being worn is not automatically excluded. A heavy gold chain bought in Vietnam is gold leaving Vietnam.
The gold declaration rule in detail →
What To Do, In Order
Count your cash honestly
Foreign currency and dong separately. Include what is in a money belt, a hotel safe, and anyone else’s bag that is really yours. The threshold is per person, so a couple carrying a shared pile should be clear about whose it is.
Decide: change it, spend it, or get the certificate
For leftover dong, changing back is usually simplest. For foreign currency you genuinely need to carry, go to a licensed bank and ask for the export certificate. Allow a working day.
Declare at customs, with the certificate in hand
The declaration is made at the customs desk in the departures area. Have the bank certificate with the cash it refers to — not in the checked bag.
Common Questions
Up to US$5,000 in foreign currency, or up to 15 million Vietnamese dong, per person. Above either figure you must declare at customs, and you must also present a certificate issued by a licensed bank authorising the export of the cash, or a written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam.
Yes, up to 15 million dong without formality. Above that you need the bank certificate. Bear in mind that dong is hard to exchange outside Vietnam and usually at a poor rate, so changing it back before you fly is generally the better option unless you are keeping notes as souvenirs.
From a licensed credit institution — a commercial bank — at a branch, during banking hours. Licensed banks are required to issue it to individuals carrying cash abroad. It is not available at the airport, and customs cannot issue a substitute, so it has to be arranged before your last banking day.
No. The thresholds apply to physical cash. Traveller’s cheques, bank cards, savings books, securities and similar payment instruments fall outside them, which is the straightforward way to move larger sums without paperwork.
Per person crossing the checkpoint. A family of four each carrying their own money each has their own threshold. What does not work is one person carrying the whole family’s cash and treating it as four allowances.
Thresholds and the export certificate requirement are set by Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN of the State Bank of Vietnam, current as of September 2026. Individual banks set their own process and timing for issuing the certificate — ask at the branch rather than assuming it is same-day.
