when I lived in Thailand I was able to get a Bangkok bank acct. without a work permit or business visa....Bangkok bank also had a new York branch where my USD would be deposited first and somehow I saved a bit on the exchange/wiring fees

 

all I'm looking for is the most tourist friendly Vietnamese bank where I can open a simple savings account where my USD can be deposited monthly and not be hassled over exchange fees or visa requirements too much etc

 

I'm not interested in loans or interest rates.. just a safe bank to have access to my country while living in vietnam

 

can anyone help?

You'll get much better response on the Viet expat forums on FB. Loads of comparisons and comments. Try Hoi An-Da Nang FB pages or the Ho Chi Minh pages. Most are closed to the public so you will have to join in order to use the search function. But we're not allowed to link to them directly from here.

10 years ago when I was working in VN (with all the associated immigration documents) I had an account at the Vinacom (?) bank for my local USD allowance that was deposited locally in VND, had a cash card and etc...if yer on a tourist visa not sure whether that would be available to you or not...

 

Vinacom were a good bank with good service and etc...the largest in VN at the time...

 

 

^I think you mean Vietcombank Tutsi??

12 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

^I think you mean Vietcombank Tutsi??

Yes, I think you are correct. Vinacom is the short name for a big shopping mall inside Vinacom Centre.

13 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

^I think you mean Vietcombank Tutsi??

 

yeah...if here's no Vinacombank then Vietcombank is probably the correct name...

 

didn't mess with any banks on my last assignment in 2010 on the recommendation of my european employer as there was a recent income tax obligation and a local bank account made things messy...had everything deposited into my UK bank and used the bank cash card at local ATMs, worked OK...