Should I exchange currency at Phu Quoc airport or in the city?

There's a currency exchange right in the airport near baggage claim that takes USD and EUR. The rate is worse than at jewelry shops in town, but it's fine for initial expenses.

Based on experience: in May the airport and city rates were almost the same — around 26-26.1 per dollar. In December the gap was bigger: 26.5 at the airport vs 27 in town (about 50,000 VND difference per $100).

Check the current USD exchange rate before your flight so you can judge how much the airport rate is marked down — sometimes the difference is minimal.

After exchanging a small initial amount at the airport, USD can also be exchanged in town. Reported options include King Kong, ViviMart in the Sonasea area, jewelry shops, and Mr. Akka coffee shop. One report found the airport rate for USD 100 was nearly the same as elsewhere.

Recent reports from October 2026: one traveler called the airport rate perfectly normal, the same as elsewhere on the island. You do not need to search for an exchange office — as soon as you clear passport control, you walk right into the counters; she saw two. For anyone worried about losing a little, she suggested changing about $50 at the airport and the rest in town. Another participant in October also described the rate at the exchange counter in baggage claim as normal, and someone else wrote that he changed dollars almost everywhere: at the airport, at a train station and at hotel reception.

Leftover Vietnamese dong can be exchanged back to USD at the airport. There are two exchange counters in the far part of the terminal before passport control, and one report says the buyback rate is not excessively poor.