Guides

Ha Trung Street Gold Shops: How Hanoi's Cash Exchange Works in 2026 (Crisp $100s, Hours, the Legal Catch)

Every Hanoi forum thread about money ends the same way: take crisp hundreds to a gold shop on Ha Trung. Here is how it actually works at the counter, the rule most posts leave out, and the moments in Hanoi where you will not need the cash at all.

Quick answer: Hanoi's gold and jewellery shops on Ha Trung and Hang Bac streets in the Old Quarter change US dollars, euros, pounds and other major currencies, usually at a better rate than banks or hotels, if your notes are crisp, unmarked and large (US$100 and US$50). Travellers say no passport is asked. The catch: most gold shops are not licensed exchange agents, and since 9 February 2026 an individual changing money at an unauthorised place faces a warning under US$1,000 and a fine from VND10 million above it, so change small amounts or use a licensed counter.

Key takeaways

Notes decide the rate. Clean, unmarked, untorn US$100 bills get the top rate; marked or damaged notes get a worse one or are handed back.
Check the live rate first. Look up the mid-market rate on Google or XE; if a shop is not close to it, walk next door.
Hours are shop hours. A Hanoi regular said most Ha Trung shops open about 8am to 5pm, while some Hang Bac shops stay open to 9pm (reported 2023).
Mind the 2026 rule. Decree 340/2025 keeps a warning for unlicensed exchanges under US$1,000 and fines of VND10 to 20 million from US$1,000, effective 9 February 2026.

You have five crisp hundred-dollar bills in a money belt, a hotel rate that looks thin, and a forum tip that says 'Ha Trung Street'. You walk in, a woman behind a glass case taps a calculator, turns it to face you, and counts out a thick stack of dong. That is the whole transaction, and it takes two minutes if your notes are right.

This post is only about that counter: how Hanoi's gold-shop exchange works and when it is worth it. For the bigger picture of banks, airports and scams across Vietnam, see our guide to changing cash in Vietnam.

Where are the gold shops, and what do they change?

Two Old Quarter streets come up again and again: Ha Trung, west of Hoan Kiem Lake near the cathedral, and Hang Bac, in the heart of the Old Quarter. Travellers in a December 2025 thread changed US dollars at shops next door to each other on Hang Bac, and a Hanoi local in September 2026 named Ha Trung and Hang Bac for Canadian dollars too.

Bring the currency you already hold. Posters changed euros, pounds and Australian and Canadian dollars without trouble, and one warned that converting euros to dollars at home first just loses money twice. Do it in the city: a Sapa expert said less common currencies are hard to change out in the mountains.

Which notes get the best rate?

US$100 bills, newest series, no marks. Repeated by every regular: no writing, stamps, tears or heavy creases. Larger denominations get a better rate than tens and twenties.
Damaged notes come back. One UK long-timer said gold shops want money 'like it just rolled off the printing press', while airports and some exchangers are less fussy, at a price.
Count at the counter. Count the dong before you leave the glass case, and check the 500,000 and 20,000 notes, which look alike in a hurry.

Is the gold-shop rate always better?

Usually, not always. Posters say gold shops beat hotels and most bank counters, and in a December 2025 thread two travellers said the shops they used came in a little above the Google rate. A Perth regular added that gold shops and banks both sit very close to the XE rate, so the converter app on your phone is the benchmark that matters. One traveller in Ho Chi Minh City even found the airport beat every gold shop on the day he needed a large sum.

In practice the difference on a few hundred dollars is small. As one poster put it, an extra couple of hundred dong per dollar will not make you rich. Pick a shop on a busy street, compare two, and move on.

Is it legal to change money at a gold shop in Hanoi?

This is the part most guides skip. Vietnam only allows foreign currency exchange through banks and authorised exchange agents, and many gold shops are not authorised. In 2018 a man in Can Tho was fined VND90 million for changing a single US$100 bill at an unlicensed gold shop; after a public outcry the city moved to exempt him, and the rules were softened.

The current rule is Decree 340/2025, effective 9 February 2026. For individuals trading foreign currency at unauthorised places, Viet Nam News reported a warning for transactions under US$1,000, fines of VND10 to 20 million from US$1,000 to under US$10,000, and higher bands above that. Enforcement against tourists is rare, but it is your risk, not the shop's.

The sensible approach: ask whether the shop is an authorised exchange agent, keep each exchange under US$1,000, or use a bank exchange counter. One Californian in December 2025 used a Vietcombank exchange counter in Ho Chi Minh City and found its rate close to Google's, indoors and without the crowd.

What do people who have done it say?

No passport, in their experience. Two December 2025 posters said they had never been asked for one at a gold shop or exchange place.
Go in shop hours. Most Ha Trung shops open about 8am to 5pm; some Hang Bac shops run from about 7.30 or 8am to 9pm (reported 2023). Do not count on Sunday evenings.
Compare next door. If the calculator number is far from the converter app, thank them and try the shop beside it.
Big stacks need big care. A traveller changing millions of dong back at the end of a trip was told to ask first, and to check what must be declared when carrying cash out of Vietnam.
Weekend rates can freeze. A regular recalled that rates barely move at weekends, so there is no need to rush on a Saturday.

When don't you need cash in Hanoi at all?

More often than the forums suggest. Cafes, bakeries, restaurants, many guesthouses and plenty of Old Quarter shops show a VietQR code by the till, and every one you can scan is cash you did not change. You will still want dong for street stalls without a code, motorbike taxis flagged on the street, tips and trips north.

Fizen QR Pay is built for visitors in that position; Vietnamese residents cannot use it in Vietnam. Create or import your Fizen wallet (non-custodial, you hold the keys), get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay, then scan VietQR, VNPay, MoMo or ZaloPay codes and see the amount in dong before you confirm. Depositing on BNB Chain has no gas fee; on Solana you need a little SOL. KYC applies per wallet and per device. There is no bank link and no card, and USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. In Vietnam it pays QR codes of Vietnamese account holders. Limits are US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week, with no daily limit. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. Steps: the QR Pay getting started guide.

It is not an exchange service and will not hand you dong. It replaces the cash for the counters that take QR, which means one smaller trip to Ha Trung instead of three. QR needs data at the counter, and the same app sells a Vietnam travel eSIM, with a US$10 eSIM credit waiting in the eSIM tab for new users, taken off at checkout (up to 30% of each plan), no code needed.

The picture afterwards: two crisp hundreds changed on day one for the street food and the tips, the cafes and dinners paid by QR, and no fat envelope of dong left over on the flight home.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to change money in Hanoi?

Travellers usually use gold and jewellery shops on Ha Trung and Hang Bac streets in the Old Quarter, which often beat banks and hotels for crisp large notes. Check the live rate first and compare two shops.

Do Hanoi gold shops ask for a passport?

Travellers in December 2025 said they were not asked. Licensed bank counters may ask for ID.

What are the opening hours of the Ha Trung gold shops?

A Hanoi regular said most open about 8am to 5pm, with some Hang Bac shops open until about 9pm (reported 2023). Hours vary by shop.

Is changing money at a gold shop in Vietnam illegal?

Exchanging at a place that is not an authorised agent breaks the rules. Under Decree 340/2025, effective 9 February 2026, individuals get a warning for amounts under US$1,000 and fines of VND10 to 20 million from US$1,000 to under US$10,000. Keep amounts small or use a licensed counter.

Will a gold shop take marked or old US dollar notes?

Often not, or at a worse rate. Bring clean, unmarked, untorn US$100 and US$50 bills.

Can I avoid changing cash in Hanoi?

Partly. Many cafes, restaurants and shops show VietQR codes, which visitors can pay with Fizen QR Pay from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. Keep some dong for stalls without a code and for tips.

One trip to Ha Trung, not three

Visitors in Vietnam can pay the VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes on cafe and restaurant counters with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, and keep the cash for the stalls that need it. Up to US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week.

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Terms and conditions

Information only. This article is information only, not an offer or sale, and not financial, legal or tax advice. Currency exchange rules in Vietnam are summarised from press reports of Decree 340/2025; check with a licensed bank or authorised agent. Rates, hours and shop practices are individual traveller reports and change. Fizen does not offer currency exchange.
For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, with no bank link or card; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. In Vietnam it pays QR codes of Vietnamese account holders only. KYC, KYT, AML and sanctions checks apply. Use of QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms.

Sources

Forum threads read on 2 November 2026; shop hours were reported in 2023 and rates move daily. Penalty bands from Viet Nam News (30 December 2025) on Decree 340/2025, effective 9 February 2026. QR Pay rules checked against Fizen product information on 2 November 2026.