What PayPal actually costs to receive $1,000 in Vietnam
PayPal works in Vietnam. That is genuinely worth something - it is accepted almost everywhere, and your client needs to do nothing unusual to pay you.
But almost nobody knows what it costs, because the cost is not one number. It is three numbers charged at three different moments, and you only see the last one.
All figures below come from PayPal's own Vietnam fee pages, checked 29 August 2026. Links at the bottom.
The three charges
1. Receiving the payment - 4.40% + a fixed fee
PayPal's Vietnam merchant fee page lists international commercial transactions at 4.40% plus a fixed fee that depends on the currency: 0.30 USD, 0.35 EUR, or 0.20 GBP.
2. Converting to VND - 3% to 4% over the exchange rate
PayPal's Vietnam fee page states a 4% markup over the base exchange rate for most currencies, and 3% for other currency conversions.
This is the charge people miss, because it never appears as a fee. It is built into the exchange rate you are shown. The number just looks slightly worse than the rate you would find on Google, and most people assume that is normal.
3. Withdrawing to your bank - 60,000 VND
Flat, when no conversion is needed. If the withdrawal fails because the account details are wrong, PayPal charges 70,000 VND for the returned transfer.
What that does to $1,000
A client in the US pays you $1,000 for work. You want it in your Vietnamese bank account.
You keep roughly $915 to $925 of $1,000. The trip costs about 7.5% to 8.5%.
On $1,000 a month that is about $900 a year. On $5,000 a month it is around $4,500 a year - more than most people's rent.
Why the number feels smaller than it is
Three reasons this stays invisible:
- The 4.40% is deducted before you ever see the balance. You do not experience it as a payment, you just see a smaller number than the invoice.
- The conversion markup is not shown as a fee at all. It is inside the rate.
- The 60,000 VND is the only one that looks like a fee - so people remember PayPal as "the one that costs 60k to withdraw."
Compare the rate PayPal offers you against the mid-market rate on Google at the same moment. The gap is the charge.
When PayPal is still the right answer
It genuinely is, sometimes:
- The client insists. A payment that arrives at 92% beats an argument that ends with no payment at all.
- One-off or small amounts. Under a few hundred dollars, the setup time for anything else costs more than the fee.
- You need buyer protection, or the client does.
- It is the only option the platform offers. Some networks pay PayPal and nothing else.
Where it stops making sense is repeat income. If the same money arrives every month, an 8% haircut compounds into a real number, and the alternatives are not hard to set up.
What the alternatives actually change
They attack the second charge - the conversion markup - and often the first.
Receiving accounts give you local bank details in the sender's own country. Your US client sends a normal domestic US transfer to a US account number. There is no cross-border payment for anyone to price, because from the sender's side nothing crossed a border.
How that works, and what it costs, is in how money from a foreign client actually reaches you.
If you are here because Stripe and Shopify Payments rejected Vietnam, that is a different problem with a different answer - see Stripe and Shopify Payments do not work in Vietnam.
Sources
- PayPal Vietnam merchant fees - 4.40% + fixed fee, international commercial transactions
- PayPal Vietnam fees - 3-4% conversion markup, 60,000 VND withdrawal, 70,000 VND returned withdrawal
Checked 29 August 2026. PayPal changes fee schedules without announcement - open both pages and confirm before you make a decision based on these numbers. If you find one has moved, tell me and I will date the correction.
Common questions
How much does PayPal charge to receive money in Vietnam?
PayPal's Vietnam merchant fee page lists 4.40% plus a fixed fee for international commercial payments - 0.30 USD, 0.35 EUR or 0.20 GBP depending on the currency received.
What is PayPal's currency conversion fee in Vietnam?
PayPal's Vietnam consumer fee page states a 4% markup over the base exchange rate for most currencies within 1 day, and 3% for other currency conversions. This is charged on top of the receiving fee.
How much does it cost to withdraw from PayPal to a Vietnamese bank?
60,000 VND when no currency conversion is needed, per PayPal's Vietnam fee page. A withdrawal that fails because of wrong account details costs 70,000 VND.
Is PayPal the cheapest way to get paid in Vietnam?
No. On a $1,000 payment the stacked fees come to roughly 7.5-8.5%. PayPal's value is that it is accepted almost everywhere and the payer needs no setup, not that it is cheap.
This is general information based on personal experience, not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules and fees differ by country and change often - verify with the provider and your own bank before you move money.
TamI run online stores and take affiliate income from Vietnam. Every method on this site is one I have used with my own money - including the ones that cost me more than they should have.