Currency and payment at Picasso Dental Clinic — a guide for New Zealand patients

Picasso accepts payment in Vietnamese Đồng (VND) cash, Visa or Mastercard via POS terminal (charged in VND at the bank rate on the day of payment), and Vietnamese bank transfer. Treatment quotes are presented in NZD for planning purposes at the May 2026 reference rate of 1 NZD = 15,000 VND, with a 90-day lock during which the NZD figure is honoured regardless of intra-window rate movement. The final invoice is issued in both NZD and VND for your records. American Express, PayPal, and cryptocurrency are not accepted.

Yes. Visa and Mastercard issued by ASB, ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, Kiwibank, TSB, SBS, and other New Zealand banks are accepted at the Picasso POS terminal and at most hotels, restaurants, and shops in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. Notify your NZ bank of your travel dates and destination (Vietnam) before departure to avoid your card being blocked on the first transaction — large foreign POS payments can trigger fraud alerts. Most NZ banks charge a foreign transaction fee of 1.5% to 2.5% on each transaction; a travel-money card (Wise, Revolut, ANZ Travel Visa) typically reduces this to 0% to 0.5%.

As of May 2026, 1 NZD is approximately 14,700 to 15,000 VND. Picasso uses 15,000 VND per NZD as the reference rate in treatment quotes, with the rate printed on every written plan. Exchange rates fluctuate; verify the current mid-market rate via Wise or XE before departure and when confirming your quote. Your written quote document locks the NZD price at the reference rate for 90 days from issue, meaning intra-window rate movement does not affect what you pay.

Either works. Most NZ patients pay by Visa or Mastercard at the clinic as it avoids carrying large amounts of cash. For daily expenses (food, transport, markets), having some VND cash is practical because smaller vendors prefer cash. Withdraw VND from ATMs in Vietnam rather than exchanging NZD in New Zealand — Vietnamese ATMs typically offer better rates than airport currency counters, and you only need to withdraw as much cash as you need for the trip. Avoid carrying very large VND cash amounts at any point.

Beyond the treatment cost, budget approximately NZD 30 to NZD 60 per day for food at local restaurants and cafés, NZD 60 to NZD 300 per night for accommodation depending on standard (3-star to 4-star), NZD 3 to NZD 8 per Grab ride within the city, and NZD 5 to NZD 20 for an airport transfer by Grab. A 10-night trip with mid-range accommodation, local meals, and Grab transport typically costs NZD 700 to NZD 1,500 on top of treatment — significantly less than an equivalent period in New Zealand or Australia.

Yes. Picasso issues every treatment invoice for New Zealand patients in both NZD (at the locked reference rate from your written quote) and VND (the actual amount charged in Vietnamese currency at the POS terminal). The dual-currency invoice is part of the English records pack you take home and is the document your New Zealand dentist uses for routine follow-up, your insurer uses for any insurance claim, and the IRD uses for any tax assessment if you are claiming a deduction. Request the dual-currency format at the time of payment if it has not been provided automatically.

Most New Zealand health insurance policies — including Southern Cross, nib, Accuro, UniMed, Police Health, and HCF — exclude overseas elective dental treatment from their standard cover. Some may cover non-dental medical emergencies during travel as part of a separate travel-insurance policy. Picasso provides the itemised dual-currency invoice you need for any claim you wish to lodge — whether coverage applies depends on your specific policy wording. Check your insurer's terms before travelling and pre-authorise where possible. ACC does not generally fund elective overseas dental work.

For Vietnamese bank transfer from a NZ bank account, Wise (formerly TransferWise) offers the most efficient mid-market exchange rate with a transparent fee structure — typically 0.5% to 1% on the transferred amount. Traditional NZ bank international wire transfers via ASB, ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, or Kiwibank cost NZD 25 to NZD 50 per transfer plus a less competitive exchange rate. Most NZ patients prefer to pay by card at the clinic POS terminal because the card scheme rate is competitive and there is no separate transfer fee. Request the Picasso bank transfer details from your coordinator if you prefer to pre-pay or settle remotely.

No. There is no deposit before you travel. The written NZD quote is free, non-binding, and valid for 90 days from issue at the locked reference rate. Payment is taken in stages once you arrive: typically a deposit on day one when treatment starts (50% to 70% of the plan depending on complexity), and the balance on completion. For staged treatment requiring two trips (for example implants placed in trip one with prosthetics fitted in trip two), each trip is paid separately.

Vietnamese ATM withdrawal limits typically sit between VND 2,000,000 and VND 5,000,000 per transaction (approximately NZD 133 to NZD 333 at the May 2026 reference rate). Daily account-level limits set by your NZ bank may also apply — typically NZD 1,000 to NZD 2,000 per day for standard cards, higher for premium accounts. Some Vietnamese machines charge a withdrawal fee of approximately VND 50,000 to VND 85,000 (NZD 3 to NZD 6) per transaction, separate from any NZ-bank foreign ATM fee. Withdraw less, more often, to manage cash exposure.

Avoid unofficial street money changers and unlicensed currency exchange operations in tourist areas. They are not licensed by the State Bank of Vietnam, do not provide receipts, and carry a real risk of receiving counterfeit notes or being shortchanged with inaccurate exchange rates. Use licensed bank exchange counters (BIDV, Vietcombank, Techcombank, Agribank), licensed currency exchange booths inside Nội Bài Hanoi (HAN) and Tân Sơn Nhất Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) airports, or ATM withdrawals from international bank ATMs. Hotel front-desk exchange counters are licensed but typically offer poorer rates than bank counters.