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[faithfog]

I just got back from SE Asia, and was a bit surprised in the podunk village of Muang Khua (first town across the border from Dien Bien Phu in VN) that the guy in the shack where you buy your boat ticket to go down the Nam Ou to Nong Khiaw would NOT take my perfectly good (not tattered) US$5 bill. The problem was that it was not the new issue $5 bill (the new one has pink color in it and one of the 5's on the bill is colored pink).

So, before you go to SE Asia, try to stock up on the latest issue US bills. I tried but many banks don't have but a few new-issue bills.

PS: Also, in Vietnam, a vendor refused to take my 20,000 Dong bill because it had a rip in it (all it needed was a bit of sticky tape to fix it but he refused).

[aopaq]

The issue concerning the acceptance of torn or "latest issue" currency is not all that uncommon in some countries. Just remember that because one person has rejected a bill does not mean you still cannot try using it elsewhere with success. Frequently, it depends on the pickiness or mood of the particular vendor. With respect to latest issue bills, I have also heard of those being rejected because the vendor had not yet seen the new ones and thought that they were counterfeit!

[starlagurl]

That's strange to hear. But thanks for the tip!