Laos forum

Yes - there are ATM's in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap but otherwise what you suggest is the best route to follow. Remember to get rid of kip before leaving Laos and riels before leaving Cambodia - they are not negotiable currencies outside of their own countries.

hey razzy,

this question has come up a few times before, so you might want to check some of the older threads for good, detailed info.

we used the ANZ atm's in siem reap on our last trip with no trouble. they dispense cash in US dollars, which is the currency people prefer for payment anyway. you'll do fine in cambodia depending on atm's with the usual amount of cash (US dollars if possible) and traveler's checks as back up.

in laos, we had no trouble using the one international atm in vientiane, but a few others have complained that it did not work for them, so keep that in mind. we typically travel laos with a combination of cash (us dollars and thai baht) and travellers checks. in fact, the only time on our two-month trip that we used travellers checks was in laos, since the exchange rates for TCs were better than cash and didn't have a transaction fee (if you shopped around). but, it is also easy to get a cash advance on your atm or credit card from many businesses all over laos. we used our credit card to pay for a few meals and hotel rooms too, which helped stretch out our available cash. the charges cleared in us dollars with no transaction fees or exchange fees. i hope that helps. cheers.

Been here in Laos for the last few weeks and the advise I can offer is to always be prepared. Banks here have very unpredictable and limited hours. Cash advances on Visas or debit cards are not always available - we got caught out in Phonsavan but were able to borrow a few Kip off fellow travelers. More often you'll find the machines aren't working like we have in Vang Vieng and even here in Vientienne.

There are ATMS in Vietienne, but they don't seem to work for every card (?) and only allow a maximum of 700,000 to 1,000,000 Kip so you'll get a heafty charge from your bank at home for drawing only $70 to $100 USD.

I haven't been to Cambodia yet but for Laos I would suggest stocking up on Dollars or Baht. Also you'll probably want to exchange for more Kip than you think you'll need when heading to more remote or rural areas. You can always loan some out to another traveler who has run out of Kip...