By Sumer. Checked against official sources on 2026-10-22. A few points are still open; they are listed under Sources.
Many people moving to Vietnam arrive with cash for a deposit on a flat or the first months of rent. That is legal, but above a set amount you have to declare it to customs on arrival, and what you declare decides how easily you can take money out again. This guide covers travellers on a passport through an international border gate, which is how almost every foreign visitor enters.
Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN of the State Bank of Vietnam sets the rule. You must declare to customs at the border gate if you carry more than US$5,000 in cash, or the same value in other foreign currencies, or more than 15,000,000 Vietnamese dong in cash. The two limits are separate: carrying US$4,000 and 10 million dong needs no declaration, while US$6,000 does even with no dong at all. Travellers' cheques, bank cards, savings books and securities do not count towards these limits.
If you arrive with US$5,000 or less but plan to pay that foreign cash into a foreign-currency account at a Vietnamese bank, the circular says you must still declare it. The bank will ask for the customs-stamped declaration, and it is only valid for depositing the cash for 60 days from the date on it, so do not leave the deposit for months.
Taking more than the limits out of Vietnam needs paperwork. If you leave with no more than you declared on your most recent arrival, the customs-stamped arrival declaration is enough, and it stays valid for 12 months from its date. If you want to take out more than you declared, or more than the limits without having declared anything, you need a certificate for carrying cash abroad from a licensed bank, or written approval from the State Bank. Banks must issue the certificate or refuse in writing within 3 working days of a complete application. In practice this means: if you arrive with savings you might take home again, declare them on arrival and keep the stamped form.
Gold has its own rule, in Circular 11/2014/TT-NHNN. Travellers on a passport may not carry gold bars or raw gold in or out. Gold jewellery and gold art objects of 300 grams or more must be declared to customs; below 300 grams no declaration is needed.
Decree 169/2026/ND-CP replaced the old customs penalty decree from 1 July 2026. For not declaring, or declaring wrongly, cash or gold above the limits, the fine depends on the value of the undeclared amount. On arrival it ranges from 1 to 2 million dong for amounts of 5 to under 50 million dong, up to 10 to 20 million dong for 100 million dong or more. On departure it is higher, from 1 to 3 million dong for amounts of 5 to under 30 million dong up to 30 to 50 million dong for 100 million dong or more. Declaring more than you actually carry on arrival is also fined, so declare the real amount. Serious cases can be prosecuted instead of fined.
Up to US$5,000 or the same value in other foreign currencies, and up to 15,000,000 dong. Above either limit you must declare it to customs at the border gate.
The rules set a declaration limit, not a cap on arrival. Above the limit you declare; keep the stamped form if you may take the money out again.
No. Bank cards, travellers' cheques, savings books and securities are outside the cash declaration rule.
Below 300 grams you need not declare it. From 300 grams you must declare it, and gold bars or raw gold are not allowed on a passport.
Checked 2026-10-22. Items still open: Whether the US$5,000 and 15,000,000 dong limits in Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN have been changed after its 2022 amendment (Circular 20/2022/TT-NHNN changed a different clause); The exact fine bands in the original text of Decree 169/2026/ND-CP (we used the Government News summary of the decree); The ban on gold bars and raw gold for passport holders in Circular 11/2014/TT-NHNN (we read it in press reports; the 300-gram limit is also in Government News); How the electronic arrival declaration at Cat Bi and Noi Bai airports handles cash declarations in practice.
Related: Hai Phong living dashboard