While travelling the hardest thing for me is trying to guess how much cash I'm going to need before I leave home. Most times I over guess which isn't a huge issue if you are buying a currency that won't depreciate before you come back. However SE Asia is not known for having a currency that is worth brining back so you typically want to spend it all over there. During the trip I decided to keep track of what I paid so you can get a general idea if you are trying to plan your trip to the areas.
Costs in Ho Chi Minh (in Dong)
100,000 - 5min cab ride from airport to hotel
30,000 - 30min Grab ride from hotel to downtown
120,000 - dinner - lemon grass chicken with chili and mint tea
140,000 - lunch - watermelon juice with ice and stir fried beef with sautéed morning glory
65,000 - specialty coffee - coconut milk frozen chocolate
47,000 - snack - mini-garlic bread loaf & Danish from French bakery
88,000 - dinner - sushi roll at Tony
9,000 - 1L bottle of water from corner store
5,000 - gave to help a traveller
10,000 - donated - too small to spend
110,000 - exchanged into US$ 4.50 once in Cambodia - better exchange rate if you do the exchange in Vietnam, however I had forgotten I had this money until I was in Cambodia
