Chainging Thai Baht To Laos Kip

[Nikkijah]

I'm off to Laos in a couple of weeks and I@m wondering how I should change my money into Laos Kip, should I get it before I go or is the exchange rate better in Laos?

Nikkijah

[azcowboy]

I'm off to Laos in a couple of weeks and I@m wondering how I should change my money into Laos Kip, should I get it before I go or is the exchange rate better in Laos?

Nikkijah

You can pay thai bath in Lao, just make sure you got a lot of 20B bills and you don't need kips

However, if you have dollars, you can change them in lao, there is a bank in downtown near to the river, you can't miss it

[OneeyedJohn]

Don't bother changing, you honestly won't need to.

I was there a couple of weeks ago and spent Bhat everywhere.

Get 35us dollars for your visa tho. (1200 Baht )

Easy mental conversion table for you :-

10,000 Kip = 35 Baht = 1 US Dollar = 1 Beer Lao

As said above takes lots of small Baht notes so that you don't have to have change given in Kip.

[Sateev]

...

Get 35us dollars for your visa tho. (1200 Baht )

...

Better clear this up: take $35 in US currency to the border, or you will be charged not 1200 baht, but 1500 baht, even though $35 = THB 1200 if exchanged IN THAILAND.

I argued this point, unsuccessfully, on my first visit to Vientiane, when they only wanted $30 (or THB1500)...

You don't say where you are going in Lao, so I will assume you are headed to the interior, where you will definitely need kip. Baht are fine at the border towns, and US$ are even better, but in the backwoods, they will not know what to do with either.

Sateev

[TopDogger]

Just take US$, after a few beer laos you'll end up getting screwed with pretty much everything if your using baht. The $ is very easy to convert in your head

Edited August 17, 2007 by TopDogger

[azcowboy]

Just take US$, after a few beer laos you'll end up getting screwed with pretty much everything if your using baht. The $ is very easy to convert in your head

Beer Lao is good (i think the best beer in Asia) but not so good to embarrass convert 5000 kip = 20B = $0.50

[Nikkijah]

I'll be starting off in Vientianne then I'm off to Vang Vieng, that's as far as I'll be going in, so I think I'll get lots of B20's lots of $1's and possibly change some Baht to kip or Dollars to kip in Vientianne - does this sound wise?

[technocracy]

In my honest opinion those folks who are just using Baht and Dollar are just throwing cash away.

All bars and restaurants here inflate the exchange rate so you end up getting less money for you $ or baht. This talk about $1 = 10,000kip is about 2 years out of date! Now basically it's 9550kip to the $.

Baht is also very strong against the kip now 278kip to the baht - it used to be between 265-270 and the other week it was 285.

Basically what I am say is change some baht to kip - as it's strong (don't bother with dollar). It's far easy than to deal with the conversion at bars/restaurants/minimarts etc. Also the government here is try to stop the use of baht so much over here. Sure people will accept baht and dollar but you won't always give you a good exchange rate. I wouldn't arse about with getting lots of 20baht notes - just a note for when you first hand over a couple of thousand baht don't be surprised if you get a very large pile of money that won't fit in your wallet. You can always ask them for 50,000 or 20,000kip notes - the 10,000 and 20,000 are the most useful in my opinion.

On the note of exchange you can change money in many places other than just the bank - such as many pharmacies, minimarts (by the Mekong), most gold/jewellery shops in the morning market and most of the time you'll get a better exchange rate. So just because the bank is closed don't think you can't change money.

Also for those who don't know there has been a boom of ATMs here in Vientiane that take Visa/mastercard etc, no longer are you restricted to the sole one outside the BCEL. They are pretty much all over the place (although I never use them!) I don't know if one has sprung up in Vang Vieng yet I ain't been over that way for a year or two.

As noted previously DO NOT TURN UP WITH BAHT TO PAY FOR YOUR VISA!!! I cannot overstate this . . . as said you'll end up paying 1500baht not $35 which is should be. The one sole time I forgot to change money to $ after trip over to Udon I begrudgingly paid 1500baht after questioning why it's so expensive - the response 'because it is', he even tried to request the overtime payment ($1 after 4pm or Sat & Sun) to which I bluntly refused and told him he already had over $40 so no he wasn't getting it (this conversation was in Lao so that's probably why they still gave me a visa! )

I've paid for things previously in both dollar and baht (when I'd ran out of kip) all over Laos - be it in the far north or south it might be backwater around here but they ain't backwater when it comes to know which money is worth the most!!

Have fun!

Edited August 17, 2007 by technocracy

[TopDogger]

Just take US$, after a few beer laos you'll end up getting screwed with pretty much everything if your using baht. The $ is very easy to convert in your head

Beer Lao is good (i think the best beer in Asia) but not so good to embarrass convert 5000 kip = 20B = $0.50

And for some, beer laos is not required... You'd be short changing yourself out of over 17% there

Also, I have USD$10k I need coverting into baht.. Your gonna pay me 40B to the USD ?

Edited August 17, 2007 by TopDogger

[Nikkijah]

So technocracy, are you suggesting I change my Baht into Kip when I get into Vientianne or whilst I'm still in Thailand?

[technocracy]

So technocracy, are you suggesting I change my Baht into Kip when I get into Vientianne or whilst I'm still in Thailand?

I don't think you can change Baht to Kip in Thailand - I believe because it's not a tradeable currency. Although that said I am sure I did see a bank somewhere either Udon or Nong Khai that showed a Kip exchange rate - but where or if I dreamt it I ain't too sure!!

So you'll need do it upon arrival - however the exchange booth on the Lao side is only open bank hours i.e. 8:30 to 3:30 - Monday to Friday. If you turn up outside of these times or day just use baht or dollar to get you to Vientiane (dunno if your driving, train, bus) then change it there. The tuk-tuk drivers will all be too happy to relieve you of your baht!!

[Nikkijah]

The tuk-tuk drivers will all be too happy to relieve you of your baht!!

I'm sure they will!

Last time I was in Lao I changed 400 Dollars - this was 4 years ago and I didn't have big enough pockets - so this time I'll remember to take a bag to the bank

[Thaddeus]

The first time we went to Laos (Savvanakhet) I exchanged some Baht at the ferry station and made a mental note of the exchange rate.

Went outside and asked a tuk-tuk to take us to a 'good hotel'.... but that's another story ...... upon arrival, wifey asks the driver 'how much?'... she went straight into hel_l hath no fury mode "ten thousand kip, ten thousand kip, we only go 2 kilo" ... my wife doesn't take prisoners, I think the poor bloke wore out the back of his shoes retreating from her.

I managed to interject and informed her that the requested sum was a shade under 40 Baht...... she calmed down (with the sort of furrowed brows that indicate disbelief) and paid... later wore out the batteries in a calculator and chew a few pencil ends.

If you are not venturing far in to Laos, you don't need to change currency, Baht will do just fine, just make sure that you have a plentiful supply of small notes, nothing worse than paying a twenty k kip bin with a thousand Baht note, it takes for ever.

If you do need kip, don't exchange in Thailand, there will be an exchange booth at your point of entry, but don't look for the flags of different nations on an LED display board, look for the glass screen with a piece of handwritten A4 paper stuck to it..... if the number is around 250, that's the foreign exchange booth

[azcowboy]

All bars and restaurants here inflate the exchange rate so you end up getting less money for you $ or baht. This talk about $1 = 10,000kip is about 2 years out of date! Now basically it's 9550kip to the $.

Now is about 9160/1$

You'd be short changing yourself out of over 17% there

Yes, indeed. However, you're not gonna live in Lao for a long time, right? The life over there is very inexpensive, i was never able to spend over $50/week (except the day when i got engagement ceremony that cost me 150k bath), so the 17% shortage will bring you about $6 loss a week, less then a dollar a day. I don't think that loss can make a huge difference. Big battle of Beer Lao (24 or 32 OZ, not sure but i can't drink more then 1 bottle) cost 7-10k kip, the most expensive buffet cost 100 bath, the normal lanch about 10k kip.

If you prefer falang food, look at this:

[technocracy]

All bars and restaurants here inflate the exchange rate so you end up getting less money for you $ or baht. This talk about $1 = 10,000kip is about 2 years out of date! Now basically it's 9550kip to the $.

Now is about 9160/1$

Ermm no it is 9553 for $50 & $100 notes and 9555 for traveller cheques as of yesterday (I was in the bank yesterday also). If you want to keep upto date on the kip exchange rate I'd suggest using this link:

BCEL Exchange rates

You'd be short changing yourself out of over 17% there

Yes, indeed. However, you're not gonna live in Lao for a long time, right? The life over there is very inexpensive, i was never able to spend over $50/week (except the day when i got engagement ceremony that cost me 150k bath), so the 17% shortage will bring you about $6 loss a week, less then a dollar a day. I don't think that loss can make a huge difference. Big battle of Beer Lao (24 or 32 OZ, not sure but i can't drink more then 1 bottle) cost 7-10k kip, the most expensive buffet cost 100 bath, the normal lanch about 10k kip.

The normal Beer Lao (640ml bottles dunno what that is in fl.oz) are selling for a crate of 12 for 65,000-70,000kip (so just under 6000kip a bottle), however in bars/restaurants you'll pay anywhere between 9,000 and 18,000kip for a bottle. Some of outside vendors by the side of the mekong maybe be even cheaper but personally we avoid sitting there due to the firstly mosquitos and secondly the children wanting money or food.

Anyway Nikkijah you seem to be worrying about things far too much - here things are far slower than Bangkok as I guess you're coming from Bangkok (your location under avatar) - just slow all thoughts and concerns down by 10 and you'll be at Vientiane pace! :D

Edited August 18, 2007 by technocracy

[TopDogger]

Yes, indeed. However, you're not gonna live in Lao for a long time, right? The life over there is very inexpensive, i was never able to spend over $50/week (except the day when i got engagement ceremony that cost me 150k bath), so the 17% shortage will bring you about $6 loss a week, less then a dollar a day. I don't think that loss can make a huge difference. Big battle of Beer Lao (24 or 32 OZ, not sure but i can't drink more then 1 bottle) cost 7-10k kip, the most expensive buffet cost 100 bath, the normal lanch about 10k kip.

17% is 17%, if your boss told u he was gonna cut your salary by 17% what would you say? "No problem, I don't think that loss can make a huge difference". I don't think so!....

Most people will spend quite a lot more than $50 in a day, never mind 1 week.