You need to send money to Vietnam quickly without losing half your funds to hidden fees. International wire transfers through traditional banks drain your account with poor exchange rates and sluggish processing times.
Remitly offers a direct alternative for moving funds abroad using digital tools. You configure the transfer in minutes, pick your delivery speed, and track the funds straight to your recipient.
Key Takeaways
- Remitly supports multiple payout methods in Vietnam, including bank deposits, cash pickup, mobile wallets, and home delivery.
- You can choose between Economy transfers for lower upfront costs or Express transfers for near-instant delivery.
- Published service fees for U.S. senders typically start around $1.99 for Economy and $4.99 for Express, though pricing varies by corridor and payment source.
- Exchange rates include a currency conversion markup, so you need to review the final quote before confirming the transaction.
- Initial sending limits apply to new profiles and increase over time once you verify your identity with official documents.
How to Set Up Your Remitly Transfer Profile
You download the mobile app or visit the desktop site to create your account. Enter your email address and set a secure password to initialize the setup process.
Remitly asks for your full legal name, residential address, and date of birth to comply with international financial regulations. You must match these details exactly to the identification documents you hold.
Initial sending tiers restrict how much capital you move within your first 24 hours, 30 days, and 180 days. Initial limits for U.S. senders usually cap out at $2,999 in a single day, $10,000 in 30 days, and $18,000 in 180 days. You lift these restrictions by submitting extra verification documents like a passport or driver license through the app interface.
Selecting Your Delivery Speed and Payout Options
You choose how fast the funds arrive by selecting either an Economy or Express transfer tier. Economy transfers route through standard banking networks like ACH and take a few business days, but they feature lower upfront service charges. Express transfers fund almost immediately using debit or credit card rails, though card issuers might tack on cash advance fees or additional transaction charges.
You match your recipient’s local infrastructure with the right payout method in Vietnam. Remitly supports several distinct delivery channels across the country:
- Bank deposit: Funds land directly in accounts at major Vietnamese financial institutions.
- Cash pickup: Recipients collect physical currency from partner locations across the country.
- Mobile money: Transfers route directly to mobile wallet services like Vimo.
- Home delivery: A courier service physically delivers cash straight to the recipient’s door via Second Bank partnerships.
Recipients can receive funds in Vietnam dong or U.S. dollars depending on how you configure the initial transfer setup. You need to gather accurate recipient details, including their full name as it appears on their bank account or government ID, their phone number, and their specific bank branch information before you proceed.
Understanding Fees and Exchange Rates
You need to analyze the total cost of your transaction before you hit send. Remitly charges a flat service fee that changes based on your funding source, your sending country, and your chosen delivery speed. U.S. senders typically see base fees of $1.99 for Economy and $4.99 for Express when funding in VND, but fees scale higher for larger sending amounts or different payment corridors.
Beyond the flat service fee, exchange rates dictate the real cost of your remittance. Remitly applies an exchange rate markup above the mid-market rate. Third-party analyses note that this markup typically ranges between 1 percent and 2 percent, which functions as an indirect cost on every currency conversion.
You always review the final quote screen before confirming your transfer. This screen details the exact exchange rate, the service fee, the total amount debited from your funding source, and the exact amount your recipient gets in Vietnam.
Finalizing and Tracking Your Transfer
You fund the transaction using a linked bank account, a debit card, a credit card, or an accepted local payment method. Bank transfers keep upfront costs low, while card payments speed up processing times at the expense of potential card issuer fees.
You tap confirm once you verify every detail on the summary screen. Remitly provides a tracking number and real-time status updates through push notifications and the mobile dashboard. You can monitor whether the transfer is processing, when it clears the financial network, and when the recipient successfully collects the funds.
If you encounter any delays or need to update recipient information, you access customer support directly through the app interface. You keep your transaction reference numbers secure until the recipient confirms the funds are safely in their possession.
