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Vietnam is a country full of astounding sights, relaxing farm-filled countrysides, and overwhelming hustle and bustle of some major cities. With less overall appeal than exotic destinations like Thailand and Indonesia, Vietnam remains an underrated gem of Southeast Asia. Any traveler could easily spend a month exploring the different corners of Vietnam, which hugs the outside of parts of China, Laos, and Cambodia.

When organizing a visit specifically to Vietnam or Southeast Asia in general, considering currency is a paramount issue. The Vietnamese Dong ranks as a currency with one of the lowest exchange rates. To the dollar, the dong generally hovers at a 20,000 to 1 ratio. With prices being incredibly cheap, the spending power of the dollar is enormous. This fact in itself can make a visit to Vietnam much more comfortable and worry free.

One awesome experience to be had in Vietnam is a multiple day cruise on Halong Bay in the northern regions of Vietnam. Groups or individuals can cheaply charter a boat with all necessities provided, including a tour guide for exploration of the picturesque waterway and surrounding islands. What would cost thousands in America can be had for nearly $100 in Vietnam.

Along the South Central Vietnam coast lies Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hoi An is awesome for its peaceful beaches, quaint old town atmosphere, and as the best place to have custom tailored clothing made in Southeast Asia. The number of tailor shops can be overwhelming but simply meeting and chatting with a couple different shops can yield a good match. The options of clothing to have made is never ending, from suits to boots. A custom suit, measured to your parameters can range from as cheap as $25. Deals of this nature are unfathomable in America, especially for those with unique body types. Hoi An is city that must not be missed on any visit to Vietnam.

For many, the biggest reason to travel is to experience new foods and push their culinary boundaries. The extreme exchange rate again plays a role in allowing visitors to taste new dishes to their heart (or stomach's) content, without the hindrance of monetary worry. Entree prices usually range from one to three dollars at basic local restaurants. These generous prices also allow visitors to live a bit of the high life, and enjoy some fine dining options. Vietnamese food is filled with soups, spring rolls, and various meat dishes that will provide a true adventure for any set of taste buds.

While utilizing the exchange rate to the best of your ability should be a priority when traveling in Vietnam, one should make careful arrangements to manage money while on the road. With such a disparity between dong and dollar values, carrying credit or debit cards directly linked to your personal accounts it not recommended.

While Vietnam is a safe place to travel, visitors due stand out. An amazingly efficient option is that of a reloadable prepaid debit card. A card of this nature would allow you to send money to Vietnam directly to yourself. A money transfer of this nature would minimize the money you would be carrying at one time. The card allows cash to be withdrawn from local ATMs only when necessary.

Vietnam is a nation filled with beauty, history, and many adventures to be had. Take a little time to adequately prepare and the experience will be infinitely better.

To learn more about prepaid debit card options or how to send money to Vietnam please visit www.atmcash.com.

Logan Lemberger takes pride in expressing his knowledge on the subjects of travel, personal finance, international relations, sports, and music.

General

Do not put all your eggs in the same basket. Divide your cash, credit cards and travelers cheques in several locations e.g. in your daypack, backpack, money belt and wallet.

Research the most suitable way to carry money in your destination. It can be US dollars, traveler's cheques, credit card, local currency, etc.

If you are on a tight budget you can use your journal to keep track of your expenses by writing them down in the journal.

Cash

There are a lot of counterfeit bills around in some parts of the world. This has led some places to prefer bills from certain years, with certain print (e.g. USD with big print) and bills in good condition. Check what is advisable before you change your money.

It can be practical (though expensive) to get some of the local currency (in small denominations) before you leave.

Try to break large bills in shops and restaurants, getting small bills can be difficult. If you cannot find a place to change money you can try the big hotels.

If you for some reason get stranded with no cash whatsoever, calling mum or other family members is a good life savior. If there is a bank or just about any shop around there is a good chance that they will be able to transfer money with a money transfer agency.

Change a bit of cash in your home country so that you have enough local currency for a day or two. Having to find a place to change money after a 20 hour flight is tedious, even though usually there are several ATMs in airports.

Personal Experience - The Komodo Crisis

Try not to get stranded without money. A friend of mine was traveling overland in Indonesia to Komodo and was steadily running down on cash hoping that there were ATMs around. There were none and he was lucky to run into some people who could lend him some cash.

Credit card

Check the expiry date of your credit card. You do not want it to expire in the middle of your trip. Also note that some credit cards mainly intended for younger people, (e.g. Maestro and Electron cards) may not work in all ATMs. These cards usually do not have relief printing on them and will not work in old fashion manual swipe machines. Check with your card issuer just to make sure.

Relying on one credit card only may be risky if you plan to use ATMs. Occasionally they get swallowed for seemingly no reason whatsoever. If you plan on having several cards with you it can be useful to make sure that they are on different networks e.g. on Cirrus and on PLUS.

You can also get prepaid cards where you store a certain amount of money and then withdraw your prepaid amount without any credit, which may be safer if your card is stolen.

If you have a special device or one-time codes for Internet banking bring them along if you plan on using your Internet bank.

Traveler's Cheques

Different brands are preferred in different countries, check before you go.

Keep track of which traveler's cheques you have used (in a separate location from the cheques themselves).

Make sure your that your signature on the traveler's cheques matches the one in your passport.

Bring the purchase record with you (in a separate location from the cheques), it is sometimes needed in order to cash the cheques and to claim a refund for stolen cheques.

Personal Experience - The Cambodian Cock-up

I was traveling in Cambodia and tried to cash my traveler's cheque. I had gotten a new passport and had the bright idea of changing my signature. Only problem was, the signature on the cheques was my old one so they did not match. This made it close to impossible for me to cash my cheques in Cambodia.

Personal Experience - The Alice Springs ATM Adventure

A Friday afternoon 1997 in Alice Springs, Australia I was getting low on cash. I had $20 left and tried to withdraw cash from the one of the few ATMs in the outback. I inserted the credit card the way it is done in Sweden - with the magnetic stripe upwards. The card was swallowed by the machine and there I stood with just a few dollars left. My hostel accepted credit and I found myself eating bananas, drinking tap water and comparing pasta prices for the next five days. A quite different diet from the steak and umbrella drink life I was used to. For FedEx to get a new card to the middle of nowhere (i.e. Alice Springs) took five days.

This article is based on the free e-book The Backpacker's Toolbox [http://www.hellobackpacker.com/toolbox/] It contains checklists, templates, FAQs and practical advice (and a few bad jokes) to make your backpacking experience as smooth as possible.

[http://www.hellobackpacker.com] - practical advice for new and experienced backpackers for all trip stages: get inspired, plan your trip, advice on the road, tips when back home.