> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.fizen.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # TPBank Stopped Being Free: Which Vietnam ATMs Still Work for Foreign Cards in 2026 - URL: https://blog.fizen.io/vietnam-atm-foreign-card-tpbank-fee-which-atms-work-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-26T13:13:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T13:13:43.000Z - Description: The old backpacker advice was simple: find a TPBank. Not any more. Here is what travellers actually paid and pulled out at Vietnam's ATMs between December 2025 and May 2026, and what to do when the machine says no. - Author: Quinn Dao - Tags: Guides, Travel & Nomad **Quick answer:** TPBank is no longer a free ATM for foreign cards: travellers reported a 165,000 dong charge on a 5 million withdrawal in December 2025, about 3.3%. From December 2025 to January 2026, VPBank was the one bank travellers kept reporting as fee-free, usually allowing 5 to 10 million dong per withdrawal, while Agribank, ACB, BIDV, VIB, HSBC and MB all charged. **Key takeaways** - **TPBank now charges.** One traveller's statement showed 5,165,000 dong taken for 5,000,000 dong in cash (December 2025), and the fee was not shown on the screen. - **VPBank is the machine people queue for.** Reported fee-free from December 2025 to January 2026, with 10 million dong in one go at some machines and 5 million at others. - **Percentages, not flat fees.** Agribank in Sapa took 220,000 dong on 5 million in May 2026, about 4.4%. - **Fewer trips beat a cheaper machine.** Paying VietQR codes directly cuts how often you need cash at all. You walk past three ATMs looking for the TPBank one a hostel noticeboard swore was free, take out 5 million dong, and see the real number a week later on your statement. That was the experience of several travellers in Vietnam's forums over the winter of 2025 to 2026\. The free-ATM map changed, and most guides did not catch up. This post is the narrow version: which machines travellers actually used between December 2025 and May 2026, what each one took, and what to do when one refuses your card. For the full picture of home-bank fees and the currency-conversion trap, see our [ATM fees in Vietnam guide](https://blog.fizen.io/atm-fees-in-vietnam-2026/). ## Is TPBank still free for foreign cards in 2026? No. In a December 2025 thread a long-time Vietnam visitor corrected an old tip, saying TPBank had been charging foreign cards a fairly high fee for more than six months. Another traveller posted receipts the same month: 165,000 dong on a 5 million withdrawal, which is about 3.3%. The catch is how you find out. That traveller's bank statement showed 5,165,000 dong debited for 5,000,000 dong in cash, and the charge was not declared on the ATM screen. So a TPBank machine can look free at the moment you use it. ## Which Vietnam ATMs did travellers use, and what did they pay? These are single withdrawals reported by travellers in TripAdvisor's Vietnam forum, with the date. They are what one card met at one machine, not bank tariffs, so treat them as a guide to where to look first. | Bank ATM | Charge reported | Max per withdrawal seen | When | | -------------- | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | -------------------- | | VPBank | None on statements | 10M at some, 5M at others | Dec 2025 to Jan 2026 | | TPBank | 165,000 on 5M | 5M | Dec 2025 | | VIB | 50,000 on 5M | 5M | Dec 2025 | | HSBC | 100,000 on 5M | 5M | Dec 2025 | | BIDV (airport) | 110,000 on 2M | 2M | Dec 2025 | | ACB | 132,000 on 3M (UK card) | 3M | Jan 2026 | | MB | Just under 5 pounds on 5M | 5M | Jan 2026 | | Agribank | 220,000 on 5M (Sapa), 176,000 on 4M (Hoi An) | 5M | May 2026 | | EXIM | Not reported | 2M | Jan 2026 | Two notes on that table. The ACB screen said withdrawals were free for European cards, and a UK card was still charged about 4.5% in January 2026\. And one early report of a VPBank fee was later retracted by the same poster when the statement showed a clean Mastercard rate. ## Why did the VPBank ATM reject my card? Usually because it is empty, not because your card is blocked. VPBank is the machine everyone now looks for, and a regular noted in December 2025 that Hoi An's single VPBank ATM was often out of order or had foreigners queuing outside. In January 2026 a traveller found the Da Nang VPBank machine empty and used the MB bank next door instead. Before you give up on a machine, try this order: 1. **Ask for less.** In Da Lat, a request for 10 million came back 'out of service'; 5 million worked straight after, with no charge (January 2026). 2. **Change the account type.** Vietnamese ATMs often ask you to pick Savings, Current or Credit. One traveller's credit card failed on Credit and Current; others say Savings has never let them down. If one fails, try another. 3. **Use the preset amounts.** Typing seven zeros on a shielded keypad is where mistakes happen. 4. **Go to a branch-attached machine in town,** not the airport, where the limits reported were the lowest (2 million at a BIDV airport machine). ## What do people who have done it say? - **Pay the fee and move on.** A Sweden-based regular put it bluntly in December 2025: use a high-limit machine, pay the fee, it is small next to the flight. - **Check your statement, not the screen.** Charges often appear only on the bank statement a day or two later, which is how the TPBank change was spotted. - **Withdraw before the mountains.** A Sapa-based expert reported in May 2026 that his usual Agribank on Cau May street now gives 5 million at most, for 220,000 dong. - **There are more banks than you think.** One long-stayer counted about 30 banks in Vietnam and still finds small-town ATMs he has never tried. Fees vary, so treat any 'free' list as a starting point. - **Exchange cash as a backup.** Several posters switched to changing notes when machines kept refusing them. ## Can you skip some ATM trips by paying with QR? Yes, for a lot of city spending. Cafes, restaurants, guesthouses and many small shops show a VietQR code, and every payment you make that way is cash you did not have to withdraw. It does not replace dong for a street stall with no code, a village homestay or a tip. Fizen QR Pay is built for this, for visitors and foreigners in Vietnam (Vietnamese residents cannot use it in Vietnam). Create or import your Fizen wallet, which is non-custodial, get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay (KYC applies per wallet and per device, so a new phone means KYC again), then scan and pay. Depositing on BNB Chain needs no gas; on Solana you need a little SOL. The [getting started guide](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-qr-pay/getting-started?ref=blog.fizen.io) has the steps. The rules that matter: QR Pay is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, with no bank link or card, and USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. It pays VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes of Vietnamese account holders. Limits are US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week. 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. ## Frequently asked questions #### Does TPBank charge foreign cards at its ATMs? Yes. Travellers reported a charge of 165,000 dong on a 5 million dong withdrawal in December 2025, about 3.3%, and said the change happened more than six months earlier. #### Which ATM in Vietnam is free for foreign cards in 2026? VPBank was the only bank travellers consistently reported as fee-free between December 2025 and January 2026\. Check your statement after the first withdrawal, because policies change. #### What is the maximum ATM withdrawal in Vietnam? It depends on the machine. Travellers reported 10 million dong at some VPBank ATMs, 5 million at TPBank, VIB, MB and Agribank, 3 million at ACB and 2 million at an airport BIDV machine and at EXIM (December 2025 to May 2026). #### Why does the ATM say out of service when I ask for 10 million dong? Often the machine is low on cash. One traveller in Da Lat was refused 10 million and got 5 million on the next try, in January 2026. #### Which account should I pick at a Vietnamese ATM with a foreign card? Travellers report mixed results. Savings works for many; if Savings, Current or Credit fails, try another before leaving the machine. #### Can I use QR codes instead of cash as a visitor? Often, in cities. Visitors can pay VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes of Vietnamese account holders with Fizen QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. You still need some cash for stalls without a code. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/ee/04eee3a6-7d95-474c-80a5-48f84338363b/content/images/2026/10/vietnam-atm-foreign-card-tpbank-fee-which-atms-work-2026.png) #### Fewer ATM trips in Vietnam Fizen is building the stablecoin neobank for people on the move: a wallet you own, local QR payments, investing and travel data in one app. Visitors in Vietnam can pay local QR codes with QR Pay, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, up to US$800 per payment and US$1,000 per week. [Get the Fizen app](https://link.fizen.io/s/B3Aenpj7fz?ref=blog.fizen.io) ### Terms and conditions - **Information only.** This post is information only, not an offer or sale, and not financial, legal or tax advice. ATM fees and limits come from individual traveller reports and change without notice; check with your own bank and the ATM operator. - **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 - [TripAdvisor Vietnam forum, ATM Withdrawal Limit (December 2025)](https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293921-i8432-k15470428-ATM%5FWithdrawal%5FLimit-Vietnam.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [TripAdvisor Vietnam forum, ATM Fees: Latest Update (December 2025 to May 2026)](https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293921-i8432-k15465180-ATM%5FFees%5FLatest%5FUpdate-Vietnam.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [TripAdvisor Vietnam forum, ATM Fees: Latest Update, replies from January 2026](https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293921-i8432-k15465180-o30-ATM%5FFees%5FLatest%5FUpdate-Vietnam.html?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [Fizen Docs, QR Pay getting started](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-qr-pay/getting-started?ref=blog.fizen.io) - [Fizen Docs, QR Pay limits and fees](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-qr-pay/limits-and-fees?ref=blog.fizen.io) ATM reports read in TripAdvisor's Vietnam forum on 26 October 2026; they cover withdrawals from December 2025 to May 2026\. QR Pay rules checked against Fizen product information on 26 October 2026. ### Related reading - [ATM fees in Vietnam: the full guide](https://blog.fizen.io/atm-fees-in-vietnam-2026/) - [Where to change cash in Vietnam](https://blog.fizen.io/best-place-to-change-cash-in-vietnam-avoid-scams-and-high-fees/) - [VietQR for foreigners](https://blog.fizen.io/vietqr-for-foreigners-2026/) - [Do you need cash in Vietnam?](https://blog.fizen.io/do-i-need-cash-in-vietnam-2026/)