With Vietnam swiftly becoming a tourist hot spot, what would one do if one of those travelers were to be stranded with no money and no way home? Well on one of my vacations to Southeast Asia I was forced to answer this very question. I hadn’t a penny to my name and needed a money transfer to get back home.
Oddly enough it turned out to be one of my best vacations, despite the lost wallet including every credit card to my name. At first I was terrified but after talking with managers at my hotel I discovered that Vietnamese are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
Although I have yet to figure out what happened to my wallet, I can at least say that those managers did all they could to help. They gave me directions to a wire transfer company where someone from back home could send money to. And luckily, most wire transfer companies found in the United States are also found in Vietnam, making the process easier.
Since it took about a day for my family to get the money to me, the hotel provided me with food and even helped me get around to see the sights on my last day there. They even offered to let my family send the money directly to the hotel bank, but I was skeptical at first. Looking back, I should have just had my bank transfer the money directly to my hotel’s bank account. I’ve seen and even used these type of transfers, but since I was in a foreign country I was reluctant.
When trying to figure out how to get money sent to me, I realized my options were few. If I had a Vietnamese bank account, things would have been different. I could have simply done a wire transfer on my own from my own bank account.
Regardless, my family got the money to Vietnam at a reasonable cost considering the situation; Here I was, a traveler in a faraway country with a lost wallet and only a passport.
So, if you are thinking about taking a trip to Vietnam, here are a few things to consider; One, set aside an emergency stash of money. Second, scatter your forms of I.D. and do not hide them in the same spot. Most importantly, make sure to note locations in Vietnam near where you stay so that you can have money sent to you if need be.
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