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Hanoi Noi Bai Airport currency exchange

By Syam, JesTiny Guide · Last checked: 22 October 2026

Hanoi Noi Bai Airport (HAN) Currency Exchange: Banks, Rates and Rules

Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is well documented, because the airport's own site lists the banks. This guide tells you what the airport's page, a travel guide with measured rates and Vietnamese news say, and what we found on Vietnam's cash rules. The one measured comparison we found is a visit that lacks a date, so we cannot name a best counter or give a percentage for the airport gap. We did not measure any rates ourselves.

Everything is as of 22 October 2026.

The short version

Who runs the counters

The airport's page lists, for the Domestic Passenger Terminal (T1), two currency exchange counters: Vietinbank and ACB Bank. For the International Passenger Terminal (T2), it lists two counters in the West Wing: BIDV and Maritime Bank, and two counters in the East Wing: Vietinbank and Techcombank. All are in the public area on the first floor. The page gives no hours and no date, and shows only a view count. It gives the airport hotline for current hours.

A travel guide (THAIest, updated 27 June 2025) agrees on Terminal 2: four banks in the first-floor public area after immigration, baggage claim and customs: BIDV, Maritime Bank, Vietinbank and Techcombank. For Terminal 1 it names only Vietinbank, on the left of the main exit in the arrival hall. The airport's page also lists ACB. We cannot tell whether ACB has since closed or the guide missed it.

We treat the bank lists as confirmed by the airport and by one guide for Terminal 2. For Terminal 1 the two sources differ on ACB.

Hours

The airport's page gives no hours. The THAIest guide lists some. It says BIDV does currency exchange daily from 6:30 AM to midnight and its other services on weekdays only. It says Maritime Bank and Techcombank are open weekdays and Saturday mornings and closed on Sunday, and gives no hours for Vietinbank. These come from a guide with affiliate links, not from the banks. If they are correct, a late-night arrival may find only BIDV open. Check the sign on arrival, and keep a working card as a fallback.

ATMs

The airport's page lists the ATM banks by area, as in the short version. In Terminal 1, there are ATMs at: Citibank, ANZ, HSBC, Vietinbank, Techcombank, ACB, VIB, Sacombank, Agribank, and a kiosk at Vietinbank. The airport's page confirms a VPBank ATM in the West Wing. The THAIest guide gives no ATM fees or limits, and says ATM withdrawals usually cost more than exchanging cash because of your home bank's fees and the local bank's fee. Check the fee on the screen before you confirm. If a machine offers to charge you in your home currency, choose dong. Our guide to dynamic currency conversion explains why.

What the sources say about rates

The THAIest guide compared airport rates with mid-market rates on one visit. These figures are undated: the guide was updated on 27 June 2025, but the author does not say when the rates were taken. Its US dollar rate of about 23,000 dong is well below the roughly 26,000 dong reported in 2026, so the visit was probably some years earlier. Treat the figures as old.

The author says the best US dollar rate applies only to large notes, that Vietinbank's airport rates are lower than its published online rates, and that the city centre usually offers better rates. These are one person's figures on one undated day, from a guide that links to Wise and other paid services. Rates move daily. What they show is that the gap can differ greatly by currency, with a major currency in large notes close to the market and a smaller currency far from it. The way to know for your sum is to ask for the final amount and compare it with the mid-market rate on the day.

To see what a percentage gap costs on your amount, use our mid-market rate guide.

How to check a rate yourself

This section is our advice, not a sourced fact.

  1. Look up the mid-market rate for your currency pair on the day you travel.
  2. Ask the counter for the final amount in dong for your exact sum, including every fee.
  3. Divide the counter's rate by the mid-market rate. A result of 0.98 means 2% below.
  4. If a sign says "no commission", ask for the final amount anyway, because the margin may sit inside the rate.
  5. Keep the exchange receipt, and keep the amount small if you can wait for a better rate in the city.

The shuttle between terminals

The airport's page on the free shuttle bus says it runs every day from 6 AM until 1:30 AM the next day, with buses every 30 minutes from 6:00 to 7:30 AM, every 15 minutes from 7:30 AM to 11:30 PM and every 30 minutes from 11:30 PM to 1:30 AM. It says the trip takes about 8 to 10 minutes. The Terminal 1 stop is at Lobby A on the arrivals level, and the Terminal 2 stop is near columns 16 to 18, lane 2, on the arrivals level. Terminal 2 buses run from 7:30 AM to 1:30 AM. The page's footer says copyright 2020, so the times may have changed.

Gold shops and unlicensed changers

A Viet Nam News report of 30 December 2025 says Decree 340/2025/ND-CP on penalties in the monetary and banking sector takes effect on 9 February 2026. For foreign currency, it sets a warning for dealings under USD 1,000, a fine of VND 10 to 20 million for USD 1,000 to under USD 10,000, VND 20 to 30 million for USD 10,000 to under USD 100,000, and VND 80 to 100 million for USD 100,000 or more, for individuals trading among themselves or through unauthorised agents. It separately sets fines for gold trading offences. The article does not single out gold shops. A careful traveller will use a bank, a licensed changer or an ATM and keep the receipt.

Carrying cash into or out of Vietnam

A Customs News answer on the Vietnam customs site says that, under State Bank of Vietnam Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN, you must declare foreign currency cash above USD 5,000 or the equivalent and Vietnamese dong above VND 15,000,000, and that the declaration fee is VND 20,000. The page has no date, and the sidebar suggests it was captured around April 2024. A 2011 circular may have been replaced. Check Vietnam Customs for the current rule before you carry a large amount.

Our reading of the sources

This section is our reading. It is not a sourced fact. Noi Bai is a case where the airport's own page does the main job. Look for a bank counter in the public area on the first floor of whichever terminal you are in, and in Terminal 2 pick the wing. After that the sources are thin on hours, ATM fees and rates. The one measured comparison suggests that a major currency in large notes can be close to the market while others are not. The usual logic holds. A counter at an airport is convenient, the rate is probably not the best available, and the cost scales with the amount. A small sum for a taxi and a first meal costs little. For a larger sum, a bank in the city or a card with low fees is likely to cost less, though we did not measure either in Hanoi.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the opening hours of the bank counters, what the ATMs charge, or any recent measured rate at Noi Bai.

A simple plan

  1. Check your terminal. In Terminal 2, find your wing, West or East.
  2. Look for the bank counter in the public area on the first floor, and ask for the final amount for your exact sum.
  3. Compare it with the mid-market rate, and change only what you need for the first hours.
  4. At an ATM, check the fee on the screen, and choose dong if offered a choice.
  5. If you carry more than USD 5,000 in cash, check the current declaration rule.

FAQ

Which banks exchange currency at Noi Bai?
The airport's page lists Vietinbank and ACB in Terminal 1, BIDV and Maritime Bank in the Terminal 2 West Wing, and Vietinbank and Techcombank in the Terminal 2 East Wing.

Is there a free shuttle between the terminals?
The airport's page says yes, from 6 AM to 1:30 AM, taking 8 to 10 minutes. The page is not recent, so check at the stop.

Are airport rates worse than in the city?
One guide (updated June 2025) measured about 0.8% below mid-market for US dollars and up to about 8% for Thai baht, on one undated visit that is probably some years old, and says the city is usually better.

Can I use a gold shop to change money?
We cannot say it is banned, but a decree effective 9 February 2026 fines people who trade foreign currency through unauthorised agents. Use a bank or licensed changer.

Do I have to declare cash in Vietnam?
A customs answer says to declare foreign cash above USD 5,000 or dong above 15 million. It is undated, so check current rules.

Sources and how we checked them

Checked on 22 October 2026. Where we call something confirmed, at least two of these sources agree, or an official source says so directly. The airport pages are undated. THAIest carries affiliate links.

Editorial note: The counter, rate and airport information in this guide is editorial and is not paid for. Rates and fees change, so confirm the final rate at the counter before exchanging.

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