ATM Fees in Vietnam: VP Bank Charges Nothing, the Airport Costs More

Last updated on 12 September 2026

Vietnam has the widest scatter of any country in our dataset. Some banks charge foreign cards nothing, others take percentage fees above four percent — and the same operator charges more at the airport than in the city. On top of that comes an annoyance travellers often only notice back home: several machines never display the fee at all.

The fee-free banks

As of 12 September 2026. ✓✓ = confirmed by two independent sources · ✓ = single source so far (POVNOMAD fee dataset based on ATM Fee Saver, as of 1 September 2026). Independent guides consistently name VP Bank as fee-free and highlight its high limit. The figure shown on the ATM screen is what applies.

VP Bank is the clear recommendation. It is the only fee-free bank a second source confirms, and with up to 20 million dong it has by far the highest limit — around six times most others. In a country with percentage-based fees, that is doubly valuable.

Three banks wrongly believed to be free

Summary listings regularly show banks as free that are not free for ordinary foreign cards. The detailed data says otherwise:

• Techcombank: ₫0 for JCB cards only. Every other foreign card pays ₫66,000.
• HD Bank: 0 percent only for certain UCB cards. Most foreign cards pay 4.5 to 4.95 percent.
• HSBC: ₫0 only for a few European Visa debit cards. Otherwise ₫50,000 to 200,000, depending on issuing country and amount.

With a standard Visa or Mastercard you land in the paying group at all three.

The expensive machines

As of 12 September 2026. Several banks add 10 percent VAT on top of the fee. ✓✓ = supported by a second source: the common range of ₫22,000 to 66,000 and TP Bank’s 3.3 percent were independently confirmed on 12 September 2026.

Where the sources disagree

At three banks our data diverges sharply from independent reports, and we cannot resolve it:

• Agribank: our dataset says ₫220,000, the second source around ₫132,000.
• BIDV: our dataset gives a percentage (4.4 to 5.5), the second source a flat charge of around ₫110,000 at the airport.
• ACB: our dataset says 4.4 percent with a minimum, while one independent source lists ACB as fee-free.

We therefore flag those values as disputed. What is consistent: all three are among the more expensive machines, and at that level it is worth finding a VP Bank branch instead.

The airport costs more than the city

A detail documented nowhere else: BIDV applies a higher rate at airports than elsewhere in the country — 5.5 rather than 4.4 percent per our dataset, with a higher minimum. The second source likewise describes a premium at airport machines.

That hits exactly the moment after a long-haul flight: you land in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, need cash for a taxi, and take the nearest machine.

The practical advice: at the airport withdraw only the small amount you need to get into the city, and the rest the next day at a VP Bank. Or book the ride through an app and pay cashlessly, in which case you need nothing at the airport at all.

The fee that is not displayed

For MB Bank and TP Bank our dataset explicitly notes that the machine may not show the fee on screen. You only learn it from your statement.

Unwelcome but manageable: print the receipt and check the posting in your banking app afterwards. If it differs, you know which machine to avoid next time.

Low limits make flat fees hurt twice

Most Vietnamese machines dispense at most three million dong per transaction, roughly €110 or $120. On a flat ₫50,000 fee that is about 1.7 percent — at a two million limit it is 2.5.

So in Vietnam the limit matters as much as the fee. VP Bank at up to 20 million and TP Bank and HSBC at ten million are the outliers upwards, though payouts everywhere depend on the machine’s cash.

What your own bank adds

The dong figures and percentages above are the Vietnamese operator’s charge and apply whoever issued your card. On top, most banks add a foreign transaction fee, commonly around 1 to 3 percent, and some add a flat charge per withdrawal.

We deliberately name no individual issuer’s terms; they change often, and only your bank can confirm them. And as everywhere: if the machine offers to bill you in your home currency, decline. The explanation is in With or without conversion? — the ATM screens are reproduced there.

Why you want a signal at the machine

Two things come together in Vietnam. Many banks now require approval through a push notification in their app for withdrawals abroad — with no data connection the card is declined. And because some machines do not display the fee, checking your account straight afterwards is the only control you have.

A Vietnam eSIM from POVNOMAD starts at €1.90. Install it at home by QR code; validity starts when it first connects in Vietnam — in practice as you step off the plane, in time for the taxi app. Unlimited plans include tethering at no extra cost up to the daily allowance, after which the connection continues at 1 Mbit/s. How we compare with other providers is in our Vietnam eSIM comparison.

Frequently asked questions