The Vietnamese Dong is the currency of Vietnam. The currency code for the Dong is VND. The Vietnamese Dong is divided into 10 hào and 100 xu. There are both coins and banknotes in circulation. The largest denomination banknote is worth 500,000 dong (about $22).Vietnam has a long history with its currency. In ancient times, cowry shells were used as money in Vietnam. Later on, bronze coins called đồng were introduced and used as legal tender until 1945 when French Indochina issued paper money called piastres de commerce to replace đồng coins which had been devalued by inflation due to war-time printing of fiat money by the Japanese puppet government during World War II . After the Fall of Saigon in 1975 , North Vietnam introduced a new monetary system consisting of notes denominated in hao and xu but printed "Đồng Nhân Dân Việt Nam" instead of "Quân Đội Nhân Dân Việt Nam". These notes were similar to those issued previously except for having more Chinese characters on them . In 1978 , South Vietna m switched from using hao & xu denominations to using only dong which became an official unitary denomination across all regions controlled by the Socialist Republic Of Vietname following reunification later that year.
