How to calculate exchange

If you are paid in Dollars, start with your salary.

After that, stop converting and get used to local cash.

Prices aren't the same, so the conversion is more likely to be more confusing than useful.

    The exchange rate is so lopsided I need a easy way to calculate.
In other countries I could round off and get a close calculation in my head but I am lost in VN
Whats the best way on a calculator or other wise to get a rough conversion?
   

    -@Dannyroc3

it's easier now for US DOLLAR conversion than it's ever been before, at least in the last 8 or 10 years.

1 USD is worth a bit more than ₫25,000 VNĐ

So:

₫500 VNĐ = about .02¢

₫1,000 VNĐ = about .04¢

₫2,000 VNĐ = about .08¢

₫5,000 VNĐ = about .20¢

₫10,000 VNĐ = about .40¢

₫20,000 VNĐ = about .80¢

₫50,000 VNĐ = about $2.00 USD

₫100,000 VNĐ = about $4.00 USD

₫200,000 VNĐ = about $8.00 USD

₫500,000 VNĐ = about $20.00 USD

Those are the currency amounts still in circulation.

Easy exchange rate (mid market) is to Google:

1 USD to VND

or

x VND to USD

The official legal exchange rate is listed daily on the website of Vietcombank:

https://portal.vietcombank.com.vn/en-Us/Corporate/TG/Pages/exchange-rate.aspx

It's always a bit less than the mid market rate.

@Dannyroc3 an easy way is rounding 1USD to 25000VND. That means 100000vnd ~ 4usd and so on.

Comparing cost of living: you need at least 1400 usd to survive in USA, and 5000.000vnd (200 USD) in Vietnam

A good daily lunch can cost 50000vnd which is a little expensive for most Vietnameses

Maybe that's is why Vietnam has a lot of expats retired living in beautiful locations

@Dannyroc3

Hi Danny.

I have a Calculator App that calculates exchange rates live. (Obviously need phone or Data connection)

Type in whatever currency you have to what you want to convert to.

Every World Currency you need!

It's called "ClevCalc" Calculator. Available on Play Store & I presume for the Apple store as well for iPhones.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

@OceanBeach92107

Thanks for that I took a photo of it.

So this just got really weird. I am on my second day here. She met me at the airport and took a taxi about an hour to her city and things seemed to be going ok. We went to a little buffet last night with her two kids and then today we went to her mother's house, which is like a farm at the city's edge. A number of her brothers and sisters were there, I guess to meet me. They all seemed like middle-class people. Quite normal, then the plan was for her son to come and swim at the hotel, he had on swimming shorts. But when we arrived she said her X-mother in law was on her death bed so her and her son would go see her. Then an hour or two later she said the woman died and she would need to spend a few days with them and could stop by a few times a day during this time.

Here is the thing: She has paid for everything so far, the Taxi, the food, she even bought a basket of fruit for me to present to her mom, which I had proposed and planned to do, but she showed up with it in the morning.

I changed  $300. VND before we went to her moms and when I tried to pay her back for the costs, she said we can worry about it later.

I guess the death is real, its just odd timing.  I am super sensitive to scams or persons with rich tastes so she doesn't come off as that.  She doesn't really seem interested in moving to the US or even going to a nearby country. When I asked her what country she would like to visit, she didn't seem to name any. She just said Cambodia is dangerous. 

Just now, as I am typing this, she arrived for a minute to drop off a little thing for me to make coffee with, because she knows I like coffee. She asked me if she could return and spend the night here, maybe she doesn't want to go to her empty apartment. 

@truckiepete

Thats a good idea, as of yet, I am just using my phone on wifi. Though I can see the usefulness

of having the ability to use the translation app too.

@Dannyroc3

Customs and social conventions are very difficult/different (for westerners)  over here.  To me, nothing you have spoken of sounds out of the ordinary.  Give her some time and say yes when the opportunity arises.

Goodluck!

25K about $1

250k about $10

500k about $20

Thats all I think.

     So this just got really weird. I am on my second day here. She met me at the airport and took a taxi about an hour to her city and things seemed to be going ok. We went to a little buffet last night with her two kids and then today we went to her mother's house, which is like a farm at the city's edge. A number of her brothers and sisters were there, I guess to meet me. They all seemed like middle-class people. Quite normal, then the plan was for her son to come and swim at the hotel, he had on swimming shorts. But when we arrived she said her X-mother in law was on her death bed so her and her son would go see her. Then an hour or two later she said the woman died and she would need to spend a few days with them and could stop by a few times a day during this time.Here is the thing: She has paid for everything so far, the Taxi, the food, she even bought a basket of fruit for me to present to her mom, which I had proposed and planned to do, but she showed up with it in the morning. I changed  $300. VND before we went to her moms and when I tried to pay her back for the costs, she said we can worry about it later. I guess the death is real, its just odd timing.  I am super sensitive to scams or persons with rich tastes so she doesn't come off as that.  She doesn't really seem interested in moving to the US or even going to a nearby country. When I asked her what country she would like to visit, she didn't seem to name any. She just said Cambodia is dangerous.  Just now, as I am typing this, she arrived for a minute to drop off a little thing for me to make coffee with, because she knows I like coffee. She asked me if she could return and spend the night here, maybe she doesn't want to go to her empty apartment.          -@Dannyroc3

It's only weird for you because you don't realize that you're already essentially engaged in their eyes.

Think about it: her ex-mother-in-law is her son's grandmother.

So of course that would cause an immediate change of plans.

She's paying for everything because you didn't follow advice to make sure that you had everything negotiated before you started sleeping with her.

She's treating you exactly the way a Vietnamese woman would treat her husband.

The only difference is you would provide her the money for her budget every month and then she would pay for everything that's a reasonable expense for your everyday life.

You really need to be thinking about how much you can afford for a wedding because that will be one of the big questions discussed in the future.

She wants to come back and spend the night with you because you are essentially her husband already and she wants to treat you that way.

She definitely doesn't want her husband sleeping alone in a hotel/motel without her.

There are many Vietnamese women who are not interested in living outside of Vietnam but they are very interested in finding a man who truly cares about them and cares for them.

They will give exactly that and more in return.

So you're really in a great situation unless of course you weren't ready to commit before you became involved with her so quickly.

As I mentioned before you really need to avoid hurting this woman so either decide that you are going to man up to the relationship or you are going to have a heart-to-heart with her that basically says that you aren't as prepared for commitment as she is.

Good luck!

I am surprised that I can't find American cigarettes in the area I am in. Not sure what the VN versions are like.

Maybe when I get to HCM I can find some? I'm not a heavy smoker so its not a problem. In 4 days I am just now down to my last ones.

@Dannyroc3

A ferocious addiction, Dan. I indulged for some 20 years and was a one-brand smoker. Maybe those VN sticks will suck enough that you'd rather not smoke. At least they're cheap there.

End of sermon. Enjoy Vietnam.

@jimmythepipe24 I thought about quitting when I came here.

because it is fairly easy for me to quit, it makes it easier to start back up.  For me, its the routine of smoking at certain points which is more compulsive than the actual smoking, that's why it is fairly easy to quit when the whole daily routine also changes.

Anyway, I VN guy I met in the elevator offered me a 5-pack of some brand printed in English but he said they don't sell them in this area. He also lived in Philadelphia and is back here for a visit.

@truckiepete So I did get the App and see it can be quite useful for a number of purposes.

So this just got really weird.

@Dannyroc3 To be honest this all sounds like GREEN flags here.

    I am surprised that I can't find American cigarettes in the area I am in. Not sure what the VN versions are like.Maybe when I get to HCM I can find some? I'm not a heavy smoker so its not a problem. In 4 days I am just now down to my last ones.        -@Dannyroc3

American cigarettes? Pfffttt, cigs are for babies and newly minted VN expats.

I bought a new điếu cày yesterday and a fresh 100 gram bag of thuốc lào tobacco. I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost 7 years, and as long as I can get thuốc lào I probably won't ever again.

Foreigners smoke VN tobacco (YouTube)

Locals smoke VN tobacco  (YouTube)

If you do try it, Dannyroc3, we'd love to hear about it!

    @Dannyroc3
A ferocious addiction, Dan. I indulged for some 20 years and was a one-brand smoker. Maybe those VN sticks will suck enough that you'd rather not smoke. At least they're cheap there.

End of sermon. Enjoy Vietnam.
   

    -@jimmythepipe24

Buddy of mine is fond of saying,

"I still do, but I used to too"

@Dannyroc3 you can find a lot of american brands in a little store inside the Airport (Domestic Departures) in Ho Chi Minh and some other places in the city. However, the taste are not the same. If you love Marlboro Lights,  try Saigon Silver

@Dannyroc3

In an elevator. That's Vietnam for you. I've had tailors, vendors in  markets and people on the street invite me to their homes for a meal. I love that place.

So not so much to report back on except the same traits persist as far as her trying to pay for stuff. Happened three times today, even when we got stopped at the elevator and I guess were told to "pay up" she goes over and haggles a bit and starts to pay, when I try to interject she just tells me later. At breakfast I had to raise the cost of the car from HCMC to here on day one and reimbursed her. Its not even like she could have any money to speak of.

So yeah the funeral thing was real she showed me the video of her son and the coffin coming out of what looked like an ambulance. 

The language is tuff, but the essence of a person I have found is not really based on the spoken words so much, but still. 

She is such a nice person with a super sense of humor. Every time she goes home she brings clothes to wash, she even insisted on taking my Columbia Backpack to wash.

I'm not really a fish or seafood eater but are there anything I should avoid? Places or things which might give me a bug? When in S.America I avoid a lot of things, no food item is worth the risk of  getting sick for days. So there I stick to bottled drinks and cooked food.

Today  I got ice with my coke here, and wondered about the water from the ice?

...even when we got stopped at the elevator and I guess were told to "pay up" she goes over and haggles a bit and starts to pay...
    -@Dannyroc3

WHAT?!

Goes over and starts to pay, as though this is something she's familiar with?

Sounds like hook, line and sinker for you.

"You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat"

    ...even when we got stopped at the elevator and I guess were told to "pay up" she goes over and haggles a bit and starts to pay...    -@Dannyroc3

WHAT?!
Goes over and starts to pay, as though this is something she's familiar with?
Sounds like hook, line and sinker for you.
"You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat"
   

    -@Aidan in HCMC

Danny-

She's probably going to be paying coffee money until you formally register her as an occupant of your room.

Aidan-

Busting a gut over the Roy Scheider clip (maybe Danny's grandfather?) 😁😁