Money Exchange in Hanoi: Noi Bai, Old Quarter and City Banks

For a first exchange after an international flight to Hanoi, look for the public banking and exchange area on floor 1 of Noi Bai Terminal 2. If you are already in the Old Quarter, Sacombank’s Hoan Kiem office on Duong Thanh is a specific bank location to check. Further south, Vietcombank’s Hoan Kiem branch is at 23 Phan Chu Trinh. Choose by where you are staying and the office timetable, not by a citywide “best rate” claim.

Noi Bai: arrivals counters are not departure gates

The airport’s banking page places foreign-exchange counters on the public first floor of Terminal 2, in both the east and west wings. It separately identifies ATMs. A cash machine withdraws dong from a compatible card; it does not buy foreign banknotes.

Vietcombank’s appointed-agent directory gives more specific Terminal 2 identifiers: Nam Phu Thinh at 1-E01L1 in the public east wing, and Hoang Son at 1-W05K6-1 and 1-W01L3 in the public west wing. Show the terminal, floor and counter code to the information desk if you cannot find the counter.

The airport also lists exchange counters in Terminal 1’s public first-floor area. Use the terminal you are actually arriving in. These directory pages do not establish that every counter is open around the clock or accepts the same currencies. Ask for the cash quote and opening status at the counter; do not set out for departure gates 17 or 18 on the assumption that they are your arrivals exchange location.

Old Quarter and the southern side of Hoan Kiem

The Duong Thanh office is an option to check when your plans already take you through the Old Quarter. Use the published weekday sessions rather than assuming banking service continues through lunch or on Sunday.

The Phan Chu Trinh branch provides a different starting point on the southern side of central Hanoi. Before travelling to either office, specify that you want to sell foreign cash for VND, name the currency and ask what identification is required. A bank rate table can include transfer-only currencies; it does not confirm that every office takes every banknote.

Vietcombank lists an appointed exchange agent at Metropole Hanoi, 15 Ngo Quyen. That provides a bank-source alternative in this area, but the directory does not state counter hours or whether non-guests can use it. Contact the hotel’s reception about the exchange desk before going.

Ha Trung and West Lake are different decisions

If you are looking around Ha Trung for a jewellery-shop exchange, verify the individual shop’s exchange authorisation and appointing bank. Do not treat the street’s reputation as permission for every business to buy foreign cash. Ask for the final dong amount and receipt, and use a bank alternative if the service cannot be verified.

For the West Lake area, Vietcombank’s exchange-agent directory lists the tourism company at 5 Tu Hoa and the Berjaya Ho Tay joint venture at K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu. These are named agency locations, not a promise of public walk-in service or competitive rates. If your hotel can arrange an authorised counter service where you are staying, confirm its conditions before making a separate trip across Hanoi.

For any similarly named gold shop, match the full business name and Hanoi street address before starting navigation. A familiar name alone is not enough to identify the correct premises or its exchange service.

Leaving Hanoi with cash: declaration is not a maximum

For passport-based travel through Vietnam’s international border crossings, Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN, Articles 1–3 sets separate declaration thresholds: more than 5,000 USD in foreign cash, or its equivalent in other foreign currencies, and more than 15,000,000 VND in dong cash. The VND threshold is not 120 million, and these figures are not absolute amounts you are forbidden to carry.

Outbound cash above the threshold can require confirmation from an authorised credit institution or approval from the State Bank. Article 3 also provides a case for carrying out no more than the cash declared on the latest entry, using the customs-confirmed declaration for the next exit within 12 months. Arrange the appropriate documents before airport departure rather than expecting a receipt from an exchange shop to substitute for them.

There are additional rules for depositing imported foreign cash in a Vietnamese foreign-currency account, even at or below the threshold, and separate rules for border-pass travel. The national exchange guide explains the scope; ask Customs about your particular circumstances. Current UK government travel advice also lists the two cash thresholds.

Going straight north after Hanoi? Plan your first cash reserve around the weekday banking hours in Sapa, rather than expecting a weekend exchange after the overnight journey.

City locations and regular hours: Vietcombank network and Sacombank network. No shop rate, currency stock or holiday opening is guaranteed.