Spending Money in Laos

[Big Boy]

I've put this here rather than Legal, Visa, Finances & Employment because it is travel related.

It is no secret that my intention is to travel to Laos later this year. I've just come across a very disturbing article regarding spending money https://thainewsroom.com/2024/07/13/sav ... tuns-thais .

I had presumed I would need to take US $, and exchange them, bringing home a few million worthless Kip for my troubles. The article states the official exchange rate for $100 is approximately 2.2 million Kip. However, if spending $, I am likely to receive an exchange rate of 800,000 Kip for my $100 (<40% of the going value). 100฿ will buy about 45฿ worth of Kip in Laos.

Can I ask what currency other travellers to Laos have taken please? If you took $, were you ripped off? How did you overcome this farce?

Can I exchange ฿ to Kip in Thailand? If I can, will it be possible to change any remaining Kip back to ฿? I still have hundreds of thousands of Dong from Vietnam that are useless.

This article is a very worrying development, and might actually see me change my mind about the trip.

[buksida]

I haven't been for a few years, but there were no issues changing THB or USD to Kip in the major places such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng etc. There are money exchangers everywhere. You will get roasted changing back though as nobody wants Kip so make sure you spend them all.

Another option, if you use Wise, is to open a dollar account with it, convert THB or GBP to USD using that, and use the Wise debit card - greenbacks are still king in Laos as far as I'm aware and the card should work in most places including ATMs (it did in Cambodia).

Option three: get someone Thai with a K-bank account to apply for one of these (not available to foreigners): https://www.you.co/th/en/
Similar to the Wise debit card, you can open accounts for all different Asian currencies, and it works in most countries and ATMs.

Naturally, you'll need cash in remote places, and I have no idea what they currently charge for dollar exchange rates.

[Big Boy]

I've been talking to a friend who did the trip recently. He says I will need a couple of crisp $20 notes for my visa on arrival (e-visa not permitted at Huay Xai). Outside of that, he used his UK debit card. He says ATMs are plentiful, and he got quite a good exchange rate.

The way I see it, I shouldn't need much. I'm not into buying souvenirs, so I'll need money for evening meals and a few drinks plus taxi to the airport. Hotels, internal transport will be pre-paid. Lunch will be provided on the boat. Although I'll pay a foreign currency charge, I should be able to get away with using my card just once or twice to buy my Kip - hopefully spending any surplus at the airport on the way home. So panic over.